The Fifth Quarter Quell
by BigLadyPotter
Summary: Lance Henderson never wanted to be in the games. But now he is forced to be in them. Will he defy everyone's view of him having come from a career district and play the games his way? Or follow the path set for him?
1. The Reaping

**So this takes place in the future of Panem as if Katniss and the rebels lost the rebellion. Just wanted to say that before you start reading, so you're not confused. Oh, and if you plan on reading my other Hunger Games story, I suggest reading that before this. There's slight spoilers, such as the victor.**

**I hope you enjoy this! (:**

**Chapter 1:**

_President Xavier walked out onto his balcony, with a small boy following him carrying a box. He opened the box and pulled out an envelope that said 125 in delicate handwriting. He began to read it aloud in a clear voice. "For the 125th Hunger Games, to show that the choices of the rebels were absolute, no volunteers will be allowed. In addition, there will be another twist that will not be revealed until the time is right during the games."_

I stare up at the stage, not caring at all about the Reaping. I'm probably the only person in District 2 who doesn't want to be in the games. Which generally isn't a problem; if my name were to be picked, there would be plenty of people who would volunteer. But not this year; for the 5th quarter quell, no one can volunteer. So if my name were to be picked, I would be stuck.

I've been forced to train for my entire life, even though I don't want to be in the games. That's just one of the necessities in District 2. I really don't want to be in the games, especially after what happened last year.

Last year, my only friend Brycen volunteered to be in the games. He was so confident that he would win. But he didn't; that stupid girl from 7 won. I had to watch my only friend be brutally killed.

The mayor finally finishes his long speech and District 2's escort, Flannery, walks up. "Alright, ladies first," she says and walks to one of the giant balls. She reaches in and grabs a name. "Glacia Skylar."

"Yes!" I hear a girl shout out as she throws her fist into the air. Not a surprise really that she wants to go to the games. The girl walks on stage; she is tall, has pale blonde hair, and looks cruel. I would not want to be the person who gets in her way of winning.

Flannery has walked over to the ball with the boys' names on it, and is digging around for a name. She finally picks a name and walks over to the podium. "Alright, the male tribute is Lance Henderson!"

I freeze. All of my thoughts slow. Why me? I'm the only person in District 2 who didn't want to be picked, yet I was. Someone behind me gives me a shove towards the stage. I slowly make my way towards the stage.

"We have our tributes!" Flannery shouts out once I make it on stage, and is answered by a loud round of applause. I shake hands with Glacia and we are then led into the Justice Building.

I sit in my room, waiting for the one person to come visit me. She walks in and gives me a hug. "Oh Lance, you're so lucky to be picked! Now you can be a victor like me!"

I stare at my sister. "Maylene, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to be in the games?" My sister, Maylene, is a victor in District 2. She won the 120th games. And she keeps on insisting that I should volunteer.

"Oh you know you'll have fun! Besides, I know you'll win. You're a Henderson, we're amazing fighters." She's right; she is one of the few people to ever get a twelve in training.

"Yeah, but that still doesn't mean I want to go," I respond.

She gives me a slightly disappointed look. "Oh...ok. Well I stopped by the house to grab you something," she says as she places an object in my hand. I look at it and I feel the prickle of tears. "It's for your token. I know Brycen would have wanted it to be your token," she says gently.

It was the friendship bracelet Brycen and I had made when we were twelve. It's simple, but it's meaning is great. Brycen had a matching one, which was his token last year. He said he would wear it as a promise, a promise that he would come back victorious. But he didn't, and left me here by myself, without my only friend.

I didn't realize I was crying until Maylene wiped away my tears. "I know you're still upset about Brycen. But you have to go be in the games. Go win the games for him. But whatever happens, I know he'll be looking down on you, and be proud of you."

I nod my head and hug her tightly. I can get through this. I can do it for Brycen. I sniffle and wipe away a stray tear. "Thanks, Maylene. I wouldn't have wanted anything else for a token. I love you."

"Aww, you're going to make me cry now. I love you too, Lance. Now go out there, and win those games," she says with a squeeze of my hand. She gets up, and walks out the door.

I stare down at the bracelet, remembering the time we made them.

_"Hey Lance, I got something for us!" the twelve year old boy said as he approached his best friend._

_"What is it, Brycen?" Lance asked with a smile. Whatever it was, it was sure to be fun._

_Brycen opened his hand to show Lance. "It's some strings and bead," he said happily. "To make friendship bracelets. Just to say that we'll always be friends."_

_"Ok, it sounds like fun!" Lance replied._

_The boys spent 2 hours working on the bracelets, making them perfect. When they finally finished, Brycen said, "These will be a promise that we'll always be friends. That nothing can tear us apart."_

And from that day forth, the boys never took of the bracelets. But then the 124th games happened.

_Lance stared at the screen, not wanting to believe what he had seen. But the hovercraft appeared, and he knew his worst fears had been confirmed. Brycen, is only friend, had been killed._

_He stormed upstairs in anger, tears flowing freely down his face. Brycen had promised he would return. But he had just been killed._

_He took off the friendship bracelet and threw it on his dresser. That promise they would always be friends was a lie. And he never touched the bracelet again._

I snap back to reality when a peacekeeper walks in. Now is not the time to be dwelling on the past; now is the time to be focusing on how to survive.

We get in a car and drive to the train station. It's not very far. I get out and see the station is filled with camera crews. Glacia is standing there, loving all of the attention. I ignore her and the cameras and walk right on the train, ready to fight my way back to District 2.


	2. Fellow Tributes

**Chapter 2:**

I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling, thinking. Thinking about the games, having to kill people, and about Brycen. I hear my door open and I look up, expecting it to be Flannery. But I'm shocked when I see Glacia there.

She walks over to right next to me, and stares down at me with her arms crossed. "Let me just get this straight. You may not want to be in these games, but I do. So you are going to be in the Career alliance with me. You're my ticket to becoming victor."

I stand up next to her, angry that she thinks she can just barge into my room and try to tell me what to do. "Who do you think you are, trying to tell me what to do? You don't control how I play these games," I say and narrow my eyes at her.

Glacia grabs onto my cheeks and pulls my face towards hers. She gives me a long kiss before pulling away. She leans towards my ear, and whispers, "You're so sexy when you get angry." Then she just turns around and leaves.

I stand there shocked for a few minutes. What just happened? One minute Glacia is trying to tell me what to do, and the next she is kissing me. I swear, I will never understand women; they are so confusing.

I shake my head lightly, and head into the bathroom. I take a quick shower, and when I walk out, I see a note asking me to come out for dinner.

I go to the dining room and see everyone is there. I sit next to my mentor, Darach. I grab food but I don't eat any of it; I just sit there poking at it. I'm just not hungry because of the thought that I'll have to kill people.

Roxanne, our other mentor seems to notice this. "Lance, are you alright?"

"What?" I ask. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not that hungry."

She gives me a look that says she thinks otherwise. But Darach starts talking before she can say anything else. "Alright let's go watch the reruns of the Reapings and see how pathetic the other tributes are this year."

I shudder slightly at his eagerness for death. I don't think I'll be getting too many gifts from him, seeing as we have completely different views on the games.

We walk in the room and I plop down on the couch away from everyone else. I just want these stupid games to be over.

The seal of Panem is shown, and then the Reapings begin. I should probably pay attention to the District 1 and 4 tributes, seeing as they'll most likely be my allies.

First, the girl is picked. A seventeen year old named Lorelei. She is tall, graceful, and has deep brown hair. Then the boy is picked. Surprisingly it's a twelve year old named Ryoko. It's not very often that a twelve year old goes to the games in any of the Career districts. But he is short, muscular, and has black hair.

Next, it's District 2. Glacia is picked and happily walks on stage. Then I'm picked. I had hesitated walking up. And no doubt, the other tributes are thinking I'm a weakling right now. But I will prove them wrong.

The cameras switch over to District 3. A fourteen year old girl named Phoebe and a thirteen year old boy named Wattson are chosen. I don't really care about these two; it's not like they'll ever be my allies.

Next is District 4, my other "allies". Another twelve year old named Anabel and the boy is a fifteen year old named Ardos. Both of them have that golden blonde hair color that is common in District 4.

District 5 tributes I don't really care about. It's some sixteen year old named Dahlia and a seventeen year old named Brody. Nothing real exciting about them.

Same goes for District 6. A sixteen year old named Jessie and a twelve year old named Eldes.

Then it's District 7. I glare at Lauren, she is there and alive while Brycen is dead. I'm about to turn away from the screen, when I see her. She has beautiful auburn hair that falls in perfect waves. She's pale, tall, and skinny, but she's not skinny to the point where it looks bad. She is simply beautiful.

"W-w-what's her name?" I say in a stumble while pointing at the screen. I don't even notice the weird looks everyone is giving me.

"It's Caitlin. Weren't you even paying attention?" Glacia snaps at me. I give her a glare and turn back to the screen. Her partner, Riley, is picked.

District 8 is shown but I don't care at all about them. All I care about is the girl Caitlin. Their tributes are a girl and boy named Cynthia and Keenan.

District 9 has picked tributes named Aislinn and Cheren.

District 10 tributes are named Lyra and Cyrus.

Finally, District 11 tributes are named Lanette and Archie.

Caitlin. Such a beautiful name for someone just as beautiful. I'm entranced by someone I don't even know, and who I might even have to kill. But I don't care. I need to learn more about her.

"Lance!" Glacia yells as she snaps her fingers in front of my face.

I jolt out of shock. Everyone is looking at me. "Wait, what's going on?"

"We've been trying to get your for a few minutes," Roxanne says gently. "We'll be arriving within the hour. You'll be staying at the remake building overnight, and then tomorrow will be spent with your prep teams. So if you have anything you need to grab before we get there, I suggest you get it now." She smiles at me and walks out of the room with Darach.

Glacia glares at me briefly and then storms out. What is that girl's problem?

I sigh and walk out of the room. I enter my bedroom and plop down on my bed. I have nothing to grab, so there isn't anything for me to do. I fall asleep for a few minutes...

I see a flash of auburn hair gleaming in the sunlight. She's walking through a forest. She turns around and smiles at me. But then Glacia leaps out and kills her.

I wake up suddenly. I look around, trying to find Caitlin, but then I realize it was only a dream. This is bad, already having nightmares about my fellow tributes. But the worst part is the terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, thinking about Glacia killing Caitlin.

I have to protect her. I don't care if I don't know her, but something about her just makes me want to keep her safe. And I'll do anything to protect her.

The train starts to slow down, and I quickly glance out the window. The gleaming lights outside confirms my belief that we have made it to the Capitol. I exit the room and walk towards the entrance, where I find everyone waiting.

Time to get these stupid games over with. The sooner, the better.


	3. Opening Ceremony

**Chapter 3:**

I sigh as I put my robe on. I just had to sit through several hours of pain to be deemed "beautiful" by the Capitol standards. My prep team is a bunch of blubbering idiots, who think bright colored hair and skin is fashionable.

I scowl as I think about what the Capitol is doing to me. I don't want to be changed by the games. But it's quite obvious that the Capitol completely controls me right.

I sit in a chair right as my stylist walks in. He has bright green spiked hair. Oh boy, someone crazy. He waves his hand for me to follow him and walks out the door.

I sigh and get up to follow him. Time to see how humiliated I'm going to be in the opening ceremony. I step into the other room and see my stylist sitting on one of two couches next to a table.

I sit on the couch opposite him and start to nibble on the food on the table. He is just sitting there, with his face resting on his hand. Staring. Observing every little detail about me.

He hasn't said anything yet. So we sit there staring at each other for a few minutes. It's starting to be really awkward.

Finally, he decides to speak. "Fire and ice." That's all; nothing else. I stare at him, thinking he is absolutely crazy.

"Fire and ice," he continues as he stands up and walks over to the windows. He stares out at the colorful buildings. "Complete opposites. Each powerful. The only real competition they stand is each other." He turns around and looks at me. "Together they are dangerous."

He walks over and sits back down in front of me. My hand is raised halfway to my mouth with a forkful of food. I try to wrap my head around where he could possibly be going with this idea.

He stares curiously at me for a minute before beginning again. "I'm Cilan. Now, you and your partner Glacia come from District 2. Everyone knows that people from there are the toughest, even among the Career tributes. This is where the concept of fire and ice comes in. They are both powerful; you and Glacia are surely powerful." He smiles at me. "So tell me, Lance. Are you afraid of fire?"

I'm finally allowed to look at myself in the mirror after getting my costume on. I take in a sharp breath when I see my reflection.

Red pants with fire all along the sides. A tank top with flame designs on it. A cape and crown on fire. My normally dark brown hair now looks copper. My skin made more tan. But the thing that stands out the most to me is my eyes.

"How long will my eyes be like that?" I whisper. I clutch my face without thinking, hoping I could erase the red eyes from my image.

"It is only temporary, like your hair and skin. It will fade away shortly after the ceremony." Cilan responds. "But what do you think of the outfit? I think we nailed the look of fire."

"Yeah it's great," I say absentmindedly. But I could care less about the outfit. I turn away from the mirror, wanting to erase the image of the vibrant red eyes on my face. "Should we go downstairs now?"

Cilan nods and leads the way to the elevator. We step in and are at ground level in two seconds. We step out and I see all of the chariots for the tributes. I scan over the tributes, and then I find her.

I gasp as I see Caitlin. Simply beautiful. She is wearing gold shorts and matching shirt, with red, gold, and orange leaves attached to them. Autumn. Her stylist has made her look like the trees of her district in autumn. A genius idea.

She looks at me and I smile at her. She scowls at me and turns around to talk to Lauren. Oh right, to her I'm just another Career who wants her dead. But she's wrong. And I'm going to prove her wrong.

I take a step in her direction, but Cilan pulls me away towards my chariot. Standing next to it is Glacia and her team. She truly looks like her name. Her dress is pale blue and slants down towards her knees, with icicles hanging off of it. She is wearing a cape of icicles and has a matching crown. Her pale blonde hair is dyed even lighter. Her already blue eyes have been dyed to an ice blue. They look like they could pierce your soul.

I shudder slightly as I take in her appearance. We make it to the chariot, and as I stand next to Glacia, I swear I feel a slight chill. Maybe I imagined it.

Cilan and the other stylist examine us one last time. After a few minutes of slight adjustments, we're finally deemed fit. "Alright, you guys are all set," Cilan says. "Now you need to get onto your chariot. But first, I want Glacia to act cold towards the crowd and for Lance to be open and friendly. You have to act like fire and ice, not just look like them."

I frown and start to get on the chariot. I don't want to act friendly towards the Capitol people. They want my death. I make it to the top and Glacia is standing there glaring at me.

"Look, I'm not happy about this either. I don't want the Capitol people to not like me because I'm acting cold. Them liking me means more money which means gifts. And then I'm more likely to make it home. So you better not take away too much attention from me."

"Or what?" I say and smirk at her.

I turn towards the entrance, where the District 1 tributes are leaving. Our chariot starts moving. It's time to do this thing. I put a smile on my face right before we're exposed to the crowds.

The crowd goes crazy when they first see us. I smile and wave at people; next to me Glacia is standing with her hands on her hips. They still love her even though she isn't smiling and being friendly towards them.

I get caught up in the cheers of the crowd and start being more cheerful. I'm not entirely sure if it is just an act anymore. But if it isn't, I guess it's not necessarily a bad thing...

As we pass by a street, I see us on one of the giant screens. No wonder the crowd loves us. We look powerful. Even I am surprised by my reflection; I look like I will kill someone if it means my survival. Glacia, on the other hand, simply looks like she wants to mercilessly kill. We both look like we can win the games.

Good. They can help me get back home.

We finally arrive at the City Circle. Since we're only second here, I take in the outfits of the arriving tributes. District 1 tributes are wearing a shirt and pants covered in gems. Not that surprising; the stylists always have 1 in gems.

District 3 arrives shortly after us. They're wearing matching yellow shirts and shorts, with black wires wrapped around them. Not too original, but better than some years.

The women in the crowd go crazy as District 4 pulls up. It disgusts me that they actually like to see children wearing only nets, for their entertainment. Especially since the girl is only twelve. Even though the boy is fifteen, the women shouldn't be lusting after him.

The District 5 tributes pull up and I just briefly glance at them. They're wearing the typical scientist outfit.

Same with District 6; the usually nurse and doctor outfits.

So far, the outfits have been generally the same as most years. Except for Glacia and I. I guess we got lucky with stylists.

Then Caitlin and her partner pull up. She looks beautiful in the city lights, her outfit glimmering. I quickly glance at Glacia and I see her glaring at Caitlin with a scowl on her face. Of course. She doesn't want anyone to take attention away from her.

Already Glacia doesn't like Caitlin and is viewing her as a target. I suddenly growl quietly, wanting to protect her from Glacia.

She hears me and gives me a weird look. Even I am confused. Did I just... growl? What the hell just happened? All I know is that I felt the need to protect Caitlin from any harm, and that includes Glacia.

I shake my head and go back to looking at the other tributes. District 8 has already arrived wearing an outfit of different fabrics sewed together. So unoriginal.

District 9 has just pulled up, wearing a coal miner's outfit. Except it's an attempt to be sexy. It just doesn't look good.

District 10 arrives shortly after and I'm actually impressed with their outfits. They're birds, the girl pink and the boy blue. Finally something different for livestock. Their stylist obviously realized that they can use other animals besides cows.

Finally District 11 arrives dressed as apples. I actually laugh at their ridiculous costume. I see the corners of Glacia's mouth twitch, like she was going to smile at me. But she stopped herself.

President Xavier walks out on his balcony and raises his hands. The crowd falls quiet. He begins his speech about the beginning of Panem, the Dark Days, the second rebellion, and the Hunger Games. I zone out and find my eyes drifting. Without realizing it, I've started to stare at Caitlin. She glances over in my direction and I smile at her. She blushes and gives a small hesitant smile in return. That smile sets my heart beating fast.

I daydream about her. I need to get to know her. But she is so beautiful, she has affected me so much.

I jump slightly when the chariot starts moving. I didn't even notice President Xavier had finished his speech. I smile and wave at the crowd one last time before we enter the training building.

The chariot comes to a stop and I jump down right away. I wait for her chariot to come in. Darach, Roxanne, Cilan, and Glacia's stylist are all talking about the ceremony, but I'm not paying attention. I'm just looking at the door looking for Caitlin to enter.

She finally enters and is helped down by Lauren. I start to walk towards her. Now is the chance to convince her that I'm not a normal Career, and that I want to protect her.


	4. Encounters

**Chapter 4:**

I make my way over to Caitlin. I pass by a mirror and stop briefly to look at my reflection. Most of the fire was out except for a few flames on my crown. My hair was fading back to brown and my eyes were their normal hazel. Good, I don't want to scare her by having red eyes.

I turn to finish the short distance. Caitlin is being helped down by Lauren. Right when I am almost there, she trips over her own feet.

I quickly run the short distance and catch her before she can fall. "Are you alright?"

"Umm yeah," she says a bit flustered. "Can you put me down please?"

"Oh right," I say and blush. I completely forgot that I was still holding her. I was mesmerized by her eyes; they are green with gold flecks in them.

I set her upright. I rub the back of my head, the awkwardness of the situation is quite evident. She stares at me expectantly, waiting for me to say something.

"Oh, I'm Lance by the way." I finally say with a smile.

"I'm Caitlin. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go," she says and turns to go to the elevators.

"Wait!" I grab her arm lightly and pull her back towards me. "Don't go yet. I haven't had time to talk to you and get to know you."

She narrows her eyes slightly at me. "Why would you want to get to know me? You're just another Career. You probably can't wait to start killing people." She starts to walk backwards. "Now, please, I really need to get going." She turns her head and starts walking towards the elevators.

"I don't want to be in these games." I say quietly to her, not really expecting her to hear me. She does, though, and stops right in her tracks.

Caitlin turns around towards me. "What did you just say?" she says softly.

"I don't want to be in these games," I repeat and walk towards her. "You're wrong about thinking I'm like every other Career. I don't like the thought about killing people; every person in these games have at least one person who cares for them, and only one returns to them. The families and friends of 21 people lose their loved one. I don't like the thought of taking that person away from their friends and family. I know what it's like. I lost my only friend last year in the games." I turn my head away from her, trying to hide the tears that are forming.

A few seconds pass, and she gently places her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry Lance. I had no idea that you felt this way. I just assumed you were like the other Careers before I even gave you a chance." She places a hand under my chin and turns my face towards her. She gently wipes a tear off with her thumb. "Do you think we can start again, so I can get to know you?" she asks with a smile.

I nod my head and smile. "I'd like that." She suddenly wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. I slowly place my arms around her, confused by the sudden hug.

She pulls away blushing. "Sorry, I don't know why I did that. I just felt like hugging you, to show that I really am sorry about prejudging you."

We hear someone calling and I turn my head to my left. Lauren is standing there waving at us, and calling Caitlin. She gives me a smile, and I hesitantly smile back at her.

I turn back towards Caitlin. "I have to go now," she says with a frown. "But it was nice getting to talk to you, Lance."

"Hey, do you want to go through training tomorrow with me? It will give us more time to talk," I say and smile.

"Sure," she says with a blush. She gives a small wave goodbye and walks over to Lauren. I see Lauren say something to Caitlin, and she glances back at me with a blush on her face. Then they walk to an elevator.

I head to an elevator myself. The doors open and I step inside. I press the button that says 2 and I'm at my floor in three seconds.

The door opens and I see Darach waiting for me. "Where have you been? Never mind, it doesn't matter," he says slightly angrily.

"Darach!" Roxanne lightly slaps his arm. "Stop being so mean to the boy," she lightly scolds. She turns to me and smiles. "Your fine, Lance, don't worry about getting here later than the rest of us."

I nod and walk over to the couch, not really paying attention to them. I see Glacia walk in, still wearing her costume. She gives me a smirk and turns to Darach.

"Lance was talking to a girl down there," she says. "The girl from 7."

Darach gives me a look of disgust. "Don't talk to her, Lance. You're better than her. No point in talking to the tributes other than the Careers. The others are all pathetic compared to you."

I stand up and walk the short distance to Darach. I stand right in front of his face. "You may be my mentor," I say venomously. "But you don't control who I talk to or who I will be allies with. I don't care if you don't send me any gifts in the arena. I don't want your help."

I take a step back and start to turn. I see him lift his hand out of the corner of my eye. His hand slaps my left cheek.

I hold onto my cheek and glare at him. "Don't ever talk to me like that, kid," Darach says cruelly.

I walk towards the hallway. I don't look at any of them.

"Lance, wait!" I hear Roxanne about.

"Let him go," Darach quietly says.

I storm into my room and slam the door shut. I lock the door and lean against it. I slide down and hit the floor, my hands covering my face.

Anger and humility flood through me. Anger that Darach thinks he can control everything I do. Humility from him slapping me.

I hear Roxanne knocking on my door and shouting. "Lance, open up the door! You know Darach didn't mean to slap you, he just lost his temper!" I ignore her and walk into the bathroom.

I toss my crown on the floor as I walk in. I stop in front of the sink and stare at my face. My eyes are aflame with anger and my hair is all over the place. My cheek is slightly raised and a red welt is starting to form. I gently poke it and cringe in pain. There would most likely be a bruise there by tomorrow.

I splash my face with water to wash the makeup off. But that isn't enough to cleanse me of the humility the Capitol is putting me through for their entertainment.

I strip off my costume and step into the shower. I press a random button and I start getting hit with warm water that has coconut soap in it. I stand there, thinking about the games.

It was already a year ago that Brycen had been in this very room, preparing for his games. And now I'm here, with a chance of having the same fate as him. But I won't let that happen. I'm going to fight as hard as I possibly can to make it home. Or to get Caitlin to go home.

Caitlin. A girl I have barely met, yet she already has me entranced. I'm falling hard for her, even though I don't know her. But that doesn't matter; I'll do whatever I can to get to know her before the games, and then to protect her.

I shut off the water and step out onto the pad, and I'm instantly dry. I place my hand on the other one for my hair, already knowing what it does. Maylene had told me all about the fancy inventions in the Capitol.

I slip on a robe and walk into the bedroom. On my bed is a note. I pick it up and read it.

_We will be watching the reruns of the Opening Ceremony. Please come join us. If _

_not, dinner is in an hour._

_-Flannery_

I crumble up the paper and throw it into the corner. There's no way I will be going out there any time soon.

I plop down on the bed and stare at the ceiling. I daydream about the times in District 2 before Brycen was killed. I soon drift into slumber.

I wake up in the morning to the golden light of the sun shining into my room. I stretch and roll over to try to fall asleep again. But it's useless, I can't sleep again.

I slowly get out of bed and stretch. I walk out of the room and into the bright dining room. No one is there yet, so I grab a plate and start serving myself. I finish and leave before anyone else arrives.

I go back to my room and find an outfit of black pants and a red shirt sitting on my bed. I quickly change into them and head to the elevator.

I reach the floor with the training room within a couple of seconds. The doors open and I see the girl from 9 and the boy from 6 already down there. Everyone else still hasn't arrived yet.

I walk towards a wall and lean against it. I slide down and sit. I close my eyes, and wait for everyone else to arrive.


	5. Tributes and Training

**Chapter 5:**

"...Alright, you may begin training," the Head Trainer finishes.

All of the tributes from Districts 1, 2, and 4 go right to the weapons. Everyone except for me. Lorelei is throwing knives at targets, hitting bull's eyes every time. Ryoko is swinging a sword at targets, decapitating them one after another. Glacia and Anabel are both throwing spears at dummies. And Ardos is right next to them throwing a trident.

The other tributes are slowly walking towards the other stations, hesitant to pick up a weapon.

I start walking over towards Caitlin, a smile on my face. The girl from District 3 gives me a confused look, wondering why I haven't gone right to the weapons.

"Hey, ready to go do some training?" Caitlin asks when I'm a few feet away.

"As ready as I'll ever be," I say with a shrug. "Why don't we start with some of the basic stuff, like building a fire and knot tying?"

"Sure, whatever we do is fine with me," she says and smiles. "Besides, that will give us more time to talk."

We make our way towards the fire starting station. The expert gets a happy look on his face as we approach. We sit down and start to build the structure of the fire. We talk all the while, getting to know each other.

I've built my fire fairly quickly, simply because I've had practice. I light the fire just as Caitlin asks me a question I'm not quite sure how to answer. "So what are you planning on doing for a strategy in the games?"

I stare at the fire starting to consume the wood, trying to think of an answer. What was I going to do? The obvious thing would be to go with Caitlin. But would I be forced to be with the other Careers?

"I'm not quite sure," I finally say. "I want to be an ally with you. But I'm practically being forced to be with the Careers."

She stares at me for a bit, stopping what she was doing. "Choose to not be with them. You don't have to do what others want you to. Decide your strategy yourself."

"It might not be that simple," I say, and contemplate what she said. I don't have to listen to Darach and Glacia. "How about we trick them all?" I finally ask with a devious smile.

"I'm all for tricking people," Caitlin responds. She finally lights her fire, and stands up. "C'mon, let's go tie some knots."

We walk over and sit down. The instructor shows us a few knots, and then we try to replicate them.

"This plan won't be easy," I say after a few minutes of tying knots. "But I should be able to end up as an ally with you."

I stop what I'm doing and stare at her. "I'm going to join the Career alliance like everyone expects me to. But when the moment is right, I'll leave them and come find you."

She gives me a confused face. "Why do you have to be with them first?"

I think about it for a couple seconds. "If I were to go with you right away, it would put a major target on our backs. But if I wait until say a few of them are dead, we would face less threat."

A sudden thought comes to me as I think about the plan. "You're going to need to make an alliance with someone for before I meet up with you. It's too risky to go by yourself."

"But who?" she whispers. I can hear the fear in her voice of having to find someone to be an ally with.

I nod my head over towards a nearby station. The District 3 girl is sitting there, looking at us. Caitlin turns and looks at her. The girl blushes and quickly looks away, realizing we know she was watching us. Caitlin turns back towards me. "The girl from 3? Really?"

"Yes. She's been watching us almost the entire time. And I've been keeping an eye on her. From how she's managed at the stations she looks like she can actually fight." I can see Caitlin's hesitation. "Go. Talk to her. Make an ally. I'll go to some other stations while you talk to her. And maybe you can find another ally."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later Lance," she says and smiles. She stands up and walks over towards the girl and they start talking.

I decide to go try out some of the weapons. I go towards the weapons and look at all of them gleaming, trying to decide one to use. I choose a shining sword, and walk over towards the dummies. As much as I hate fighting, I still get a rush whenever I use a sword.

I use the sword for a while, and then switch to some of the other weapons. But none of them fascinate me like the swords. So I eventually end up returning towards them. I spend most of the rest of the day at the sword station.

Towards the end of training, I look over at Caitlin. I see her laughing with the District 3 girl and another girl. I think she's from 10. Wherever she's from, it doesn't matter; I'm just glad that Caitlin has found people to be allies with for before I find her.

I finally head upstairs and we have dinner. It's slightly awkward around Darach, and we don't really talk much. I head to my room shortly after to go to sleep.

The next two days pass relatively the same. I practice with some different weapons and try the other stations. Caitlin goes around with the other girls who's names I learned are Phoebe and Lyra. Caitlin tries out the axes at some point, and she isn't too bad; I guess she's used them before in her district.

But it's finally time for the individual sessions. Glacia is sitting next to me confidently. I don't really care what I do for the gamemakers.

Lorelei finishes and I'm called in next. Time to show the gamemakers what I'm capable of.


	6. Confessions

**Chapter 6:**

I walk into the room and I bow in front of the gamemakers. Then I head towards the weapons. I examine them all, knowing that I'll use several of them. I decide to start with the bow and arrows.

I grab a shining bow and walk to the side of the room opposite the targets. I pull the string back and aim quickly. I let it go and it makes a thud as it hits the target, right in the bull's eye. A few of the gamemakers clap.

I go back to the weapons and pick up several knives. I throw them quickly at a dummy, all of them hitting vital points.

I throw a spear at another dummy and hit it right where it's heart would be. I throw an ax at the same dummy and decapitate it.

Finally, I pick up a sword. I run toward the dummies and start slashing at them, working in fancy footwork and spinning. It's not necessary, but Maylene told me that the gamemakers like fancy work with weapons.

I take a swing at the finally dummy, and it's head rolls to the floor and hits it with a thud. The gamemakers all start clapping very loudly.

I place my sword back with the other weapons and walk towards the gamemakers. I stop right in front of the head gamemaker. "Excellent job," he says with a smile. "That is exactly what we look for in tributes. You are dismissed."

I walk towards the elevator, disgust running through me. The gamemakers view me as a killing machine, just because I am talented at several weapons. It's not my fault I come from a district where we're forced to train.

I step on and I'm at my floor in seconds. I expect Darach and Roxanne to be waiting for me, but when the doors open, only Roxanne is there.

"How did it go, Lance?" she asks with a smile. I will never understand how someone as nice as her volunteered and won her games.

"It went well. I showed them my versatility with weapons. And I showed them lots of fancy footwork while using a sword. They said I did an excellent job and that I'm exactly what they look for in a tribute."

"That's great, Lance! So we don't have anything to do for the rest of the day until the scores are shown. I was thinking that after Glacia gets back, I show you two the roof. You'll really like it," she says.

We sit on the couches in the living room and talk. After a few minutes, the elevator opens and Glacia steps out. "How did you do?" Roxanne asks.

"I did perfectly. The gamemakers loved me. Surely I'll get the highest score," she says and smirks at me.

"Well that's very good. We're going to head up to the roof for a bit, do you want to join us?"

"I guess," she says begrudgingly.

We walk onto the elevator and Roxanne presses the button for the roof. We're there in several seconds. And when the doors open, I'm overwhelmed by all the pleasant scents.

All different kinds of flowers are in the dome. A wide array of colors: red, orange, pink, blue, purple, yellow. And each one smelled exquisite.

"It's so beautiful," I finally whisper in awe.

"I thought you would like it," Roxanne says. She starts to say something else but is cut off by Glacia.

"I don't see what is so great about it. It's just a bunch of flowers."

"Is it possible for you to even see the beauty in things?" I ask coldly. "Or is every waking thought in that small brain of yours about killing?"

She gasps and starts to walk towards me as if to hit me. "Why you-"

"Enough!" Roxanne yells as she steps in between us. A look of pure anger is on her face, and I'm taken aback by this side of her. "I am sick of you two fighting all the time. You might have different views about things, but you share one thing in common: you're tributes from District 2. Everyone back home is counting on you two in the hopes that one of you will be victor." She steps back, slightly less angry. "Is it too much for to ask for you two to stop fighting, at least before you go to the arena?"

I lower my head, disappointed with myself. She's right; there's no pointing in fighting now. But I will enjoy every minute of fighting her in the arena.

I look up just in time to see Glacia step onto the elevator. The last thing I see before the doors close is her glaring at me.

Roxanne sighs and walks a few feet away. "I honestly can't stand her. I wish I was mentoring you instead. You and I have similar frames of mind when it comes to the games." She turns around and waves her hand for me to follow her. "C'mon, let's not waste a nice afternoon."

She leads me to a door on the opposite side of the dome. She opens it and I hear the bustle of the city. We walk through and go to the edge. We stare out at the Capitol for a little while.

After thinking about the games for a bit, a thought dawns on me. "Hey, Roxanne, if you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you win your games?"

She stares out at the city for a few minutes, and I start to think she won't answer me. "I did what everyone didn't expect me to do," she begins. She turns and looks at me. "I chose to be in an alliance with someone nobody expected: the girl from District 6. Her name was Luana. I first approached her because she reminded me of my best friend, in her appearance and the way she acted. We tricked everyone from the beginning. We acted like we didn't know each other at all. I stayed with the Careers, pretending I was part of their alliance; she acted like a scared tribute. I learned all of the Careers plans for once we were in the arena. And I met with Luana in secret at night, on this roof. I shared these secrets with her. And we created a plan. When the gong rang, I ran into the bloodbath, almost as if I really was with the Careers. But I used this as a cover to get good items. Luana and I ran into the forest with our supplies. And we started to take down the Careers one by one, using the information I learned, playing on their weaknesses."

She stops for a bit and looks at the nearby buildings, and I wonder if she is done with her story. But she turns back after a few minutes, and her eyes are glistening with the formation of tears.

"But one day, I was setting a trap for a tribute, and she was hunting for food. My district partner, the very one we were about to try and trap, found her. He tortured her, and when I found them, she was barely breathing. I spared no mercy on him, killing him immediately. I then held Luana as she died, begging her not to leave me. After her death, I knew I had to win, just for her. So I hunted down the remaining five tributes. And I won my games."

She wipes away the tears on her face. "Lance, you know that you don't have to do what everyone thinks you should do in the games. You can make alliances with other people." She pauses to look at me. "Like maybe Caitlin?"

I blush and look away. "How do you know about her?"

"I've seen the way you look at her. You like her, don't you?" I don't respond which answers her question. "Be in an alliance with her. Protect her. Don't let someone you love, even if it's just as a friend, be killed brutally in the games. And if you ever become unsure what to do, think about what I did 18 years ago. How I chose how I wanted to play the games."

Roxanne has helped me become sure about protecting Caitlin. I give her a hug. "Thanks, Roxanne. You're a great mentor."

She smiles and puts her arm around my shoulder. She starts to lead me towards the dome. "Glad I could help. Now let's go find out just how well you did in training."

We enter the dome and pass by all of the wonderful flowers. When we reach the elevator, Roxanne presses the button for the door and it opens instantly. We step in and are at our floor in seconds.

When the doors open, I see Darach and Glacia sitting on one of the couches in the living room. "... And the best way to kill people is to slowly torture them, in my opinion," Darach finishes. He looks up and scowls when he sees me. "Oh _you're_ back. Whatever. The scores are about to be shown."

I roll my eyes at his behavior and plop down on the other couch. A few seconds later the tv turns on and the seal of Panem is shown.

First person shown is Lorelei from District 1. She got a 10, and so did her district partner Ryoko.

Then Glacia's picture is shown, followed by a 9. "What?" she shrieks. Obviously she thought she was going to do better.

I chuckle a bit at her reaction, but I'm cut short by my picture being shown. And then flashes the number...


	7. Scores and Preparation

**Chapter 7:**

The number 12 flashes across the screen. I stare frozen at the tv, hardly able to believe that I really got a 12.

Flannery lets out a squeal of delight and Roxanne says "congratulations" and pats me on the back. I even hear Darach mumble, "Huh, a 12. Not bad."

But then Glacia gets off of the couch and storms out of the room. The sound of her slamming doors can be heard.

Roxanne frowns a bit, but cheers up after a few seconds. "Don't worry about her, she's just overreacting about not getting as high as a score as you, Lance." She pauses for a second and looks back at the screen, where Phoebe's face is displayed, followed by the number 7. "Why don't we watch the rest of the scores?"

Phoebe's district partner, Wattson, is shown right after, and he got an 8.

Anabel and Ardos are shown next, and they got a 7 and a 9, respectively. I'm kinda shocked that Anabel didn't do too well.

District 5's Dahlia received a 5 and her partner Brody got a 7.

Jessie from District 6 got an 8 and Eldes got a 5.

Caitlin is shown, and I'm suddenly filled with worry for her. What if she didn't get a high enough score to get sponsors? What if that meant she wouldn't survive? I don't have too long to wait before the number 8 flashes on the screen.

I let out a breath that I didn't even realize I was holding. She got a good score, and she's been dazzling in front of the Capitol crowd; she'll definitely get sponsors. I see Roxanne give me a quick glance, since she knows how I feel about Caitlin.

The boy Riley from 7 got a 9.

District 8 is shown next. Cynthia received a 6 and Keenan got a 7.

The girl Aislinn from District 9 got an 8, Cheren a 6.

The girl Lyra from District 10 is shown next, and her score is a 7. Cyrus' score is an 8.

Lastly, District 11 is shown. Lanette gets a 4 and Archie gets a 6.

The Panem seal is shown on the tv. Darach stands up and stretches. "Well, congrats on the 12, Lance. Who knew you would do so well. I guess we should go have dinner.

When we walk into the dining room, I can hear smashing coming from Glacia's room. I chuckle and say, "I guess someone isn't taking the news so well."

We sit down on the table and are served lamb stew. I dig in and don't put my spoon down once until my bowl is finished. I stick around for a bit of small talk with the mentors and Flannery, but my eyes start drooping soon.

I walk to my room and plop down on the bed. I fall asleep almost instantly.

I wake up to the smell of fresh food and hear voices. They get closer until one stops and knocks on my door.

"Lance?" Roxanne says calmly. "Breakfast will be in a little bit. We need you to come out soon since we have a busy day ahead of us."

I hear the clicking of heals walking away, and soon I'm left in silence. I lay in bed for a few more minutes, thinking about the day ahead. I sigh, realizing that it is not going to be fun getting ready for the interviews.

I take a quick shower. When I'm done, I throw on a plain black t-shirt and jeans.

As I walk out of my room and down the hallway, I'm overwhelmed by all of the wonderful smells coming from breakfast. Everyone is already sitting at the table.

I sit and start eating the food, but I get interrupted by Flannery. "Sorry, Lance, but you took so long that you don't have time to eat." She pulls the plate away before I can even react.

She hands the plate to an avox and folds her hands on the table. She glances at both Glacia and I individually before beginning again. "So today is all about preparing you two for your interviews tomorrow. This includes making sure you know proper etiquette, which I will help you with. And your mentors will meet with you and come up with how you display yourself. Glacia, you will be starting with me. Lance, you will be with Darach." She stands up from the table and smiles. "Alright, let's get started!"

Darach gets up and walks into the living room, without saying anything. I sigh and follow him; this should be fun.

I plop down on the couch and stare at Darach, waiting for him to say something about my strategy.

"You need to act confident. By uncaring about the games, like you already know that you will be the victor. Act like the games don't matter to you at all. The Capitol audience will expect you to be powerful and confident since you got that 12 in training."

I sigh and say, "Why do I even need to act like that? Does it really matter how I portray myself for the interview? Can't I just be myself?"

He actually smiles at me. "You won't need to act any differently; you already don't care about the games. And as much as I don't like admitting it, you are rather confident. So just be your normal self, just answer the questions in a way that doesn't offend every Capitol citizen."

I scoff at the idea about saying anything nice about the Capitol. "Fat chance that I'll actually say anything nice about this place."

He shrugs his shoulders and stands up. "I don't think it will really matter; you're already a Capitol favorite, between your chariot outfit and your score." He pauses and puts his hand out to help me up. "C'mon, let's go get you some breakfast. I won't tell Flannery. Besides, I think you're perfectly ready for how to portray yourself during the interview."

Darach and I sit at the table, while I eat. We make a bit of small talk. After a little while, Roxanne joins us and lightens the slight tension.

After around an hour, Flannery and Glacia finally finish. They walk out smiling and laughing. "Oh, good, you're done," Flannery says when she sees us. "I presume you are all set for the interview?" I nod my head yes. "Good, then let's see how bad your etiquette is."

Two hours of pure torture. That's what my time with Flannery was. Everything I did she claimed was wrong, and half the time when I tried to fix it she'd say I was worse. We didn't get much progress done. She eventually gave up, saying there was no hope for me.

I finally got to go eat dinner. I was exhausted from the day, but I know that tomorrow will only be worse. Everyone is happy at the dinner, and I seems like the first night that none of us were arguing.

Flannery eventually sends Glacia and I off to sleep. It's seems like my eyes are closed for only a minute before I'm woken up by my prep team to start getting ready for the interview.


	8. Interviews

**Chapter 8:**

I gaze at the mirror, not too concerned with my reflection. I could honestly care less what they have me wear to prance around in for the Capitol.

But I have to admit, I do look good in the black suit and red shirt that Cilan made for me. Small accents of flames are on the suit. I'll surely look good for the Capitol crowd.

We all head downstairs and wait in the lobby. Cilan talks to Darach and Roxanne, and I find my eyes wandering over the tributes. All of the girls are in fancy dresses, and the guys in suits. But I don't see the one person I want to.

An elevator dings, and the doors open, revealing Glacia and her team. Her stylist is obviously continuing the idea of ice for her by having her wear an ice blue dress. She looks nice in it, and she would actually look pretty if she wasn't always wearing a scowl.

They join the group and talk, but shortly after they arrive we have to get in line for the interviews. I'm forced in the line, and I try to find Caitlin, to at least get one look at her before we go on stage. But I can't see her before we walk on stage in the bright lights in front of the Capitol crowd.

The crowd starts cheering as soon as Lorelei, the first tribute, walks out. But when they get their first look at me, they cheer louder. Of course they are, I realize, remembering Darach telling me yesterday that I'm already a favorite.

They continue cheering as the rest of the tributes walk on stage and take their seats. I might imagine it, but I think they cheer a bit louder right about when the District 7 tributes should be walking out.

I still can't see Caitlin; too many tributes are in-between our seats.

Then our interviewer, Claudia Flickerman, walks out. This year, she has dyed her hair, eyelids, and lips a mix of half purple and half green.

She smiles and waves at the crowd as she takes her seat. "Another year, another Hunger Games," she says pleasantly. "Which means, another group of talented tributes I get to interview for you!" The crowd responds to her with loud screams. "Alright, let's get these interviews started!"

Lorelei walks up slowly and takes the seat opposite Claudia. She's wearing a silver gown with accents of gems on it. Her interview goes well, with her portraying herself as sexy to the Capitol crowd.

Ryoko goes next wearing a silver suit. He is almost acting brutal, which is a bit surprising coming from a 12 year old.

Then Glacia walks up for her interview. It goes well with her displaying herself as anticipating every battle, how she is looking forward to the initial fight at the bloodbath.

They're almost done when Claudia asks a question that catches my attention. "So what do you think about your district partner, Lance, scoring a 12 in training?"

"It doesn't matter that he scored better than I did," she says arrogantly. "The point is, I'm still going to beat him, and I will become victor." She smirks at the screen, and the buzzer goes off.

She walks back at glares at me. I ignore her and go to my seat across from Claudia.

She gets started asking questions right away. "So Lance, tell us a bit about your family. I do believe you have an older sister who is a victor."

"Yeah, I have an older sister Maylene," I begin. I have a sudden thought about how I should act confident and sure of myself. "She scored a 12 in training, just like me. I guess superb fighting skills just run in the family."

"Speaking of your score, can you tell us a bit about what happened?" she asks with a happy look, since she had a good transition.

"Well, I'm sure I can't tell you what I did. I guess everyone is just going to have to wait until tomorrow to see my skills."

"I know I can't wait, especially knowing how well your sister fought five years ago. So you're a pretty handsome guy," she pauses and looks at the crowd. "Am I right?" she asks them and is responded with lots of yes's. "Surely you must have a girl waiting for you back at home."

"No, there's no one," I say and start to think about things at home. I seems like no girls approached me after Brycen died, like they didn't want anything to do with me after he was gone.

Claudia seems to notice I'm not completely focused and tries to bring me back. "Ok so no girls waiting for you. What about your friends?"

My blood seems to freeze, leaving me frozen in my spot. No. I don't want to talk about Brycen. I look over at the mentors and see Roxanne. She nods her head at me, silently telling me it will be alright to talk about him.

I take a deep breath. "I don't have any friends waiting. My only friend was killed last year when he volunteered to be District 2's male tribute." I stop for a second. "But I will win. Not for me, but for him."

The buzzer sounds and I return to my seat without another word. The crowd is shocked into almost silence by what I said. And I realize it's not so much because of the words, but because of how determined I sound.

Phoebe walks up and starts her interview. Her stylist has given her a short yellow dress to wear.

While she's talking, I find my eyes drift over to the mentors and stylists. My eyes meet with Roxanne, and she gives me a discreet thumbs up. That thumbs up and the smile she gives me tells me that I did the right thing with talking about Brycen.

Wattson walks up wearing a yellow suit, and I start to zone out. I see the flashes of color as the female tributes walk past; Anabel wearing blue, Dahlia wearing green, Jessie wearing purple.

Only after Eldes sits down do I snap out of my trance, realizing one thing: Caitlin is next. She walks up gracefully, wearing a gold dress that poofs towards the bottom, has sequins at the top, and ties in the back. It's a beautiful dress that completely flatters her. Her auburn hair is pinned to the side and curled.

She starts her interview, and you can tell the her and Claudia are easily talking; they both are the kind of people who can talk to anyone. When asked about the games, Caitlin answers the questions in a fiery way, like she is determined to become the victor and make it home.

Caitlin does an amazing job during her interview, and the Capitol crowd loves her. As she walks back to her seat, she quickly glances at me and smiles. I return the smile, and as she turns away, I can see her start to blush.

The rest of the interviews fly past. Cynthia wears an orange dress, her partner Keenan a white suit and orange shirt. Aislinn wears a black poufy floor length gown, and Cheren has on a simple black suit. Lyra wears a simple pink gown, which makes it better, and Cyrus a blue suit. I realize that their stylists were continuing the idea of the pink and blue birds from the opening ceremony. Finally, Lanette walks on with a red gown, and her partner finishes the interviews wearing a black suit.

Claudia says goodnight to the crowd, and myself and the rest of the tributes walk back into the training building. I know my mentors won't be back for a little while, so I scan the tributes for Caitlin. I quickly spot her in her gold dress, and walk over to her.

"Hey, you look absolutely beautiful tonight," I say when I'm next to her.

"Thanks," she says and takes a deep breath. She's worried about the games, I realize. "So the games are finally tomorrow. You're sticking to the plan still, right?"

"Absolutely," I say and see her relax a bit. "Listen, we don't have much time to talk right now. Meet me on the roof tonight, at midnight. Just take the elevator up."

"Why do you want to meet there?" she asks, with confusion plainly written on her face.

"I need to talk to you one last time before the games. And I think you'll love it up there." I pause and smile at her. "So just take the elevator up, alright?"

"Ok," she says. "I'll see you then." She smiles and walks to the elevator to go to her floor.

I walk to a different elevator and arrive at my floor shortly. I sit down on one of the couches, waiting for the mentors to get here to say goodbyes. But all of my thoughts are on meeting Caitlin tonight, and having one last time of talking to her before we're thrown into the killing fest that is the Hunger Games.


	9. Midnight Meetings

**Chapter 9:**

I sat on one of the chairs in the rooftop observatory, breathing in the smell of the flowers. Sitting in here made it feel like I was in a different world. A world where I wasn't going to be fighting for my life tomorrow morning.

The elevator doors open and Caitlin walks out with a look of awe on her face about the flowers. "It's so beautiful," she says in a hushed tone.

"I know," I respond. I walk over to her and hug her. "I wish we weren't going to the games tomorrow. I want to spend so much time with you." I sigh as I let go of her. I walk a few feet away from her and continue, with my back towards her. "Do you ever wonder what our life's could have been like if we hadn't met under these circumstances? If we weren't about to be thrown into the bloodbath?"

"The past couple of days, I have." She walks over to me and places a hand on my shoulder. She pulls me over to a chair by the roses, and sits me down while she takes the seat next to mine. She pauses briefly, staring at the flowers, like she is trying to figure out what to say next. "When I was first picked in the reaping, I thought there was no way I would make it back home. And I accepted that fact. But then, I started to change my perspective about my chances of winning, after one moment. Do you know what that moment was, Lance?"

I shake my head no, having no idea what could have changed her mind about something like that.

"It was when you first caught me off of the chariot, on the first night in the Capitol." She turns and smiles at me. "I changed my mind about how I was going to play the games, all because one tribute decided to get to know me. So then training started, and I became more resolute about fighting to make it home. But that isn't the only thing that I started to change my mind about." Caitlin turns and gives me a serious look. "Lance, do you believe in love in first sight?"

I think about what she just said. I take in her appearance: her auburn hair shining with a silvery light from the moon; her eyes glistening with the excitement of the night; but mostly I notice the way her lips curl in a smile at me. This one girl caused me to completely change the way I viewed the games; I had thought that when I saw the other tributes, I would just think of them as nameless people. But now, I view each of them as an individual person, all of them with their own individual story. Most of all, Caitlin has made me fall in love with her.

"I do now," I say, and lean towards her. Our lips meet in a sweet and tender kiss. Neither of us move for a few seconds, wanting to make the kiss last as long as possible.

But too soon it's over. Caitlin studies my face, almost as if she is trying to memorize every feature. "You know we can't be together, Lance. It's impossible with us going to the games tomorrow. Only one person can make it out."

"Well we might as well make our last few days enjoyable. I would rather spend my days in the arena with you than to know that you're by yourself."

"Me too," she says and hugs me. She rests her head on my shoulder, and we just sit there like that for a while.

I gently stroke her hair as I think about the games tomorrow. I refuse to let anyone get close to harming her.

"Caitlin, I promise you that I'll protect you during the games. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"I believe you, Lance. But what if something happens before you can't meet up with me?"

"Well I guess I'll just have to join you as soon as possible, then." I pause and look up at the moon. From where it's at, I can tell that over an hour has passed with us sitting here.

I sigh and pull away from Caitlin. "It's getting late. As much as I hate to leave, we need to get as much sleep as possible."

She nods her head in agreement, and we stand up and walk to the elevators. Caitlin is about to go into one but I stop her. "Remember, during the games, if it ever seems like it's hopeless, just remember that I will find you and protect you." I kiss her on her forehead, and let her go into the elevator. As the doors close, I can see her smile at me one last time.

One last time before we're in the arena, where there's almost no reason to be happy.


	10. Beginning of the End

**Chapter 10:**

I sit on the couch, sipping from a glass of water. Cilan is sitting next to me, waiting for my outfit to be delivered. I absentmindedly think about the games that will be starting in less than half an hour. Less than 30 minutes before I will be forced into becoming a killer. Less than 30 minutes before I could possibly die.

The clothes are delivered through a slot in the wall, and Cilan stands up to grab them right away. He gently holds them and examines them with the skill that only a stylist can have. Finally, after a few minutes he hands them to me to start putting on. "The gray color of the shirt indicates that there might possibly be rocky terrain. The brown pants could mean anything about the arena. The jacket's material reflects heat, which will be good for cold night." He pauses and frowns at the jacket before handing it to me. "There's a lot of pockets in it. It's almost like they want everyone to use a lot of weapons to kill each other."

I pull the jacket on and it fits perfectly, with my arms being able to move freely. I slip on the pair of leather boots, and walk around in them. "Everything fits perfectly," I say. But then I notice one last thing that is sitting where the pile of clothes had arrived: my token. I walk over and slip the bracelet on my wrist. "There, now I'm ready."

We sit on the couch for a few minutes, but then the attendants are announcing that it's time to prepare for launch. Cilan walks me over to the launch pad, and checks that everything is all set for me. "Good luck out there, Lance. I know you have the skill to become the victor. I look forward to seeing you after the games are done."

I nod my head in response as the glass tube rises up around me. Too bad I have to disappoint Cilan, but I'm not making it out of the arena as the victor. I'm going to be doing everything I can to ensure that Caitlin is the one to win.

I start rising up, and I soon become surrounded by darkness. Time to start the beginning of my end. Light suddenly surrounds me, and I get my first sight of the arena. A vast forest spreads out in front of me; to my left is a lake with a tiny island in the middle; a field is to my right; and turning around, I can see what appears to be cliffs. Most tributes will probably head to the forest, and I'm sure the gamemakers will know this; it will surely be teeming with mutts.

Gustavo Templesmith's voice starts booming throughout the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, let the 125th Hunger Games begin!" Then we are left with sixty seconds before the bloodbath starts.

I look at all the tributes circling the cornucopia, and I see Caitlin almost directly across from me with a fierce look on her face. She isn't looking anywhere but at the supplies that she is going to try to get. Then I see Glacia a few spots to my left. She is standing there, looking at all the weapons, probably thinking about all the ways she can kill people with them. Some of the other tributes are looking terrified, while the tributes from districts 1 and 4 are anticipating the sound of the gong. Thinking about the gong, I prepare myself to start running. My goal is not to start killing people, but to get supplies to Caitlin and hopefully run away with her.

A few seconds pass. Then, the gong rings. I start running immediately, and I get to the Cornucopia a few seconds before Glacia does. She ignores me as she grabs spears and gets ready to throw them at the approaching tributes. I grab a sword from the mouth of the horn, a few knives, and I start to turn around when I see an ax sitting there. I take it to give to Caitlin so she can protect herself.

As I turn around, I see that the blood has already started to be shed. The boy from 3 is already dead, with a spear sticking out of his chest. I look around, trying to find Caitlin, and I see Anabel running towards her, a knife in hand. She knocks into Caitlin and they tumble around on the ground, both of them trying to get the other away from them. I start running towards them, knowing that Anabel can easily kill people. But as I'm almost halfway there, I see Anabel start coughing up blood, with a knife sticking out of her back.

I get to Caitlin and help her up. I hand her the ax I grabbed, and a pack that is nearby. "Go," I say fiercely. "Get out of her now." She nods her head and turns to leave. "Just remember, I will find you."

She takes off at a jog, and I'm about to turn around to see what other items I can find when I see someone running right towards Caitlin. She hasn't seen her. I run towards the girl, stopping her in her tracks. All she carries is a knife, which isn't much defense. "Sorry," I quietly say as I thrust my sword through her stomach.

I turn around, and I see only one tribute left besides the people from 1,2, and 4. They have surrounded him, and I watch as he tries to crawl away on the ground, only to be stopped by Glacia's spear. After he is dead, they look around to see if there are any more tributes, but they only see me. Glacia looks mildly surprised that I'm still around. "Oh good, Lance, you've decided that the smart move would be to stay with us. I suppose I can deal with you for a few days."

I can see Ardos looking around, like he is trying to find someone. "Where's... Anabel?" he finally asks. I don't answer his question, and he starts to look at the dead tributes. "Oh no," he mutters, and runs over to her body. "Why, Anabel? I told you not to push your luck against tributes that are bigger than you. And now look what happened. You're dead!" He lets out a choked sob. "She was my best friend's younger sister, and I swore I would protect her for him. But I didn't. I'm a failure," he says, and puts his hands on his face.

"Don't worry, Ardos. I'll make sure that we find the person who killed her and we'll make-" Glacia is cut off by the sound of the cannons. We stop and listen. Seven people have died, and we haven't even been in the games for a half hour.

"We need to move out of the way," Lorelei speaks up. "So they can take away the bodies." We all agree with her, and walk towards the edge of the forest. Soon, the hovercrafts appear, and the seven bodies are taken away, to be cleaned up and then transported back to their respective districts.

"Alright, let's look through the supplies," Glacia says. She has obviously taken over the role of leader within the alliance. "I say we make piles for everything, based on if they are weapons, food, or survival gear." And with that, we start sorting.

I ignore everyone else as I go through the weapons in the Cornucopia. I silently put knives in my jacket when everyone isn't looking, because if I wait until everything is in piles, I won't be able to get as many.

We all silently sort for around an hour, placing everything into the piles. Finally we've gone through everything useful. "We should probably set up tents," I quietly say.

Surprisingly, Glacia agrees with me. She shrugs her shoulders and says, "We might as well set them up now while it's still light out. We have enough for each of us to have our own tent." She walks to the pile and chooses what appears to be the largest tent. I go to the pile and grab a random one, and Ardos, Lorelei, and Ryoko all do the same.

I pick a spot of ground away from everyone else and silently sit down as I get the tent set up. I need to get out of here soon and find Caitlin. But it will be impossible to do that when everyone is here. I'll have to wait until we are in separate groups. But that means I'll probably have to kill one of them.

As I'm pondering how I can get away, we hear a scream coming from the area around the cliffs. "Heads up, guys. It sounds like whatever is chasing that girl is coming this way," Ryoko says. We get our choice weapons ready and kinda in a line, ready to face whatever mutt is coming this way.

After a few tense minutes of waiting, we finally see the mutts. A girl runs out from among the cliffs, bleeding in several places from wounds that look like something took a bite out of her. Which is what the giant beetles chasing her probably did. The girl trips over a rock and falls to the ground. Immediately, the mutts swarm her and start taking bites out of her, while she writes on the ground screaming. "This is horrible, I can't watch," I say, mostly to myself.

Suddenly, an arrow flies into the mass of beetles, and the girl's screams end. The mutts then leave her and go back into the cliffs. I look to my left and see Lorelei still holding the bow in a shooting position. She sees all of us looking at her confused and she shrugs her shoulders. "No one deserves to die a death like that," she says as she brings her bow down.

"Whatever," Glacia says coldly. "Excitements over, let's get back to setting things up."

Ardos and Ryoko ignore Lorelei as they walk back to their tents. I stop her before she walks away. "I think that was very kind of you."

"Thanks," she mumbles. "I couldn't just leave her to them. I kept imagining myself in her position, and I know I would have wanted someone to just kill me instead of being left to those mutts." She turns away, to say that this conversation is over.

I go to my tent and sit in front of i, watching the others finishing with theirs. It's starting to get dark out just as everyone finishes.

The seal of Panem is shown in the sky. Time to find out who's families will be grieving tonight. First to be shown is the boy Wattson from District 3. Then Anabel is shown. I quickly look at Ardos and see a pained look on his face. The other tributes soon follow: Brody from 5; Jessie from 6; Cynthia and Keenan from 8; Aislinn, the girl attacked by the mutts, from 9; and finally, the boy Cyrus from 10. Eight families with be grieving tonight.

But not Caitlin's family. She is still out there, with her allies, and hopefully staying safe from the mutts in this deadly arena.

I still can make sure she's the victor.


	11. Betrayals

**Chapter 11:**

"Ok, here's the plan for today," Glacia begins. "Ardos, Ryoko, and I are going to go hunting for tributes. Lance and Lorelei will be staying here and guarding the camp." She grabs her spear and hoists up her bag on her shoulder. "Alright, let's get going!"

The three leave the camp, heading into the forest. I sigh, already bored that I'm just supposed to sit around camp all day. "I hope she gets eaten by a mutt," I mutter, mostly to myself.

Lorelei laughs, obviously having heard me. "You know, I actually agree with you. I have no idea how you put up with her the days in the Capitol."

I shrug my shoulders. "We almost killed each other several times. It was only our mentor that stopped us, really."

"So, what should we do today while they're gone?" she asks.

"I guess we can have some food."

Lorelei walks over to the pile of food and starts digging around for something good to eat. I realize now would be a perfect time to kill her and get away from here. I would be able to get supplies, too.

I slowly walk up behind her, silently getting a knife out of my jacket. I start raising my hand, but I stop short. What am I doing? I can't kill her. She has done nothing wrong against me. I bring my hand down.

She's crouching down by the food, quietly muttering to herself, "Urgh, I can't get this stupid can open."

I lean over and grab the can. "Want me to help?" I ask while showing her the knife. She nods her head and I quickly cut the top of.

"Thanks," she says and starts eating the food. "Do you want a can?" she asks and I see that she had gotten two cans out of the pile.

"Sure," I say and open the other can. We sit there in silence for a little while, just eating our food. I'm upset with myself that I almost killed Lorelei. I know that I'm in the Hunger Games, but I can't just kill someone who hasn't done anything against me.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks me. I realize that she has been studying my face for a little while.

I decide to answer somewhat honestly. "The games. How I don't want to have to kill people who have done nothing wrong to me."

"You never wanted to be in these games, did you? But everyone in your district is expecting you to be great and come home as victor. Everyone expects you to kill everyone."

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"It's clearly written all over your face. Just like I can tell that, I know that you don't want to be in this alliance." She pauses and turns to look at the forest. "There's someone else, right? Someone in there."

I just nod my head yes.

"Then go. Why are you sticking around? Now's a perfect time to get away."

I consider what she said. I could get away easily. But I would also be almost guaranteeing Lorelei's death. "I can't go now. If I do, Glacia will surely kill you, since you let me get away."

"Not if we pretend that we fought," she says with a smile growing on her face. "I have a plan."

"Ok, you have all of the supplies you need: plenty of food, a tent, first aid kit, and enough weapons," Lorelei says as she hands me a pack.

"Why are you helping me again?" I ask her, still confused about why she is doing this.

"Because you're defying against Glacia. And I think you're the person who's most likely to be able to beat her." She pulls out a knife. "Alright, time for the final touches on this amazing plan of mine: make it look like I didn't just let you leave."

She puts the knife down to her arm and takes a deep breath. Then in one quick motion she swipes it across her skin. A line a crimson appears, and blood starts to pour out. She does the same on her thigh.

"Go," she says through gritted teeth. "Get out of here before they get back and this plan was all a waste."

I turn to go to the forest and walk a few feet before I turn back around. "Thank you, Lorelei. For helping me get away. And I'll be hoping that I don't see your face tonight." And with that, I took off jogging into the forest.

I walk through the forest, sword in hand, to protect me against tributes and mutts alike. The forest is filled with the sound of creatures everywhere.

I don't know how long I've been walking for, but I hear a cannon go off. Please don't be Lorelei. But I won't be able to know who it was for several more hours.

I spend the day searching for Caitlin, but I don't see any sign of her, or the other tributes. At some point in time, another cannon goes off. I set up camp in a secluded area, hopefully away from the eyes of others.

As I finally sit down in front of my tent, the anthem starts playing. The two faces shown are Lyra from 10 and Lanette from 11.

Seeing Lyra's face concerns me, since she was in Caitlin's alliance. Does this mean that she is injured? Or is she ok?

These thoughts go through my head as I start to fall asleep.


	12. Dangerous Mutts

**Chapter 12:**

I wake up when the first rays of sun are starting to poke through the canopy of leaves above me. I eat a can of soup as I sit in the front of my tent, surveying the area around me. Somewhere in this forest and in the rest of the arena are 11 other tributes; 4 of them are sitting at the Cornucopia with all of the supplies.

After I finish my soup, I start packing up everything so I can start looking for Caitlin. After I have everything ready, I take off into the forest, entering territory I haven't been in yet, with a sword in hand.

I walk for several hours without any disturbance. I listen to the sounds of all the animals around me. At some point, I hear the howl of a wolf from a distance.

It's about noon when I run into my first mutt. It was hunched over a deer it had killed when I walked into the clearing. But when it heard me, it stood up to its full height of about 6 feet. It was a giant bear, with at least 5 inch long razor sharp claws, and teeth that were well beyond the normal length.

It took one step towards me, and then I bolted away. Of course it gave chase, seeing as it is a mutt. I run for a few minutes, and realize that it's gaining on me. As I frantically try to figure out something to do, I see a tree up ahead with low branches that will be good for climbing.

I run to the tree and start climbing, all the while hoping that the mutt won't be able to climb it. When it gets to the tree, I'm already at least 15 feet up, well beyond the reach of his claws. It tests one of the branches, but when it starts to crack, it gets down. It stares up at me for a few seconds, then walks away to look for easier prey.

I breathe a sigh of relief, and lean back against the tree. Once my heart beat slows down, I hear the buzzing that is coming from above my head. Oh no. A buzzing like that could only mean one thing.

I slowly look up, and know that I was right about what it is: tracker jackers. I stay still, hoping that they might still not notice me. I think about what I could do to get away without getting stung.

I could try to slowly climb down, but one wrong move and they could attack. As I contemplate how far I could get, I remember something. Tracker jackers get muddled from smoke.

I quietly go in my bag, and get out a match. Then, with a knife, I slowly saw off a branch near me. I light the match, and bring the flame to the branch. It catches fire, and smoke starts coming off of it. I hold the branch close to the nest, letting the smoke surround the tracker jackers.

After about 10 minutes of letting the smoke surround them, I bring the branch down. The buzzing has quieted down. It worked!

I pour water on the flames that are still on the branch, then climb down. I sit down against the tree, just happy to be away from mutts. I decide to have some food while I sit here.

As I sit against the tree, I hear a cannon go off. Someone has just been killed, be it by a mutt or a tribute. Someone's family is now mourning. Please don't be Caitlin.

Instead of sitting around pondering who it could have been, I decide to resume my search for Caitlin. I go a different way that will take me away from the bear mutt, since I really don't want to encounter it again.

I walk for a bit, pushing aside branches. I push one away, and keep walking. Then, all of a sudden, the floor drops out from beneath me. I flail my arms out and find a branch to grab on to.

"That was close," I mutter as I hang there, my body swinging over a pit that just appeared. A pit that is full of poisonous snakes. I reach out a foot, and get purchase on the ground around the pit, then I pull myself back to land.

I sit at the edge of the pit, and look down. It's about a 5 foot drop down. If you weren't killed by the drop, the snakes would finish the job. And judging by the fact that this is the Hunger Games, it would probably be a slow and painful death.

I get up to start going, being careful when walking around the pit. I have had too many close to death encounters today. I need to be more careful.

I walk through the forest for a couple more hours, with no sign of tributes or mutts. Just as I sit down to start setting up camp for the night, another cannon goes off. This time, I won't have long to wait before I know who it is.

I finally sit down in front of my tent, and wait for the dead tributes to be shown. I only wait a few minutes before the Capitol anthem starts playing and the seal of Panem is shown in the sky.

The first face shown is Lorelei. Oh no, it's probably my fault she's dead. Then the face of Eldes from District 6 is shown.

It's only the third day, and already 12 are dead. More than half the tributes gone forever and the games have just started.


	13. Discovered

**Chapter 13:**

I slowly start packing my stuff in the morning, still groggy from not getting enough sleep. I'm stopped short when I hear the sound of a branch breaking nearby.

I stop and stay completely still. I can hear the sound of footsteps passing by. They might only be about 10 yards from me.

As I listen to see if they know I'm here, the tribute speaks up. "There's got to be a tribute around here somewhere. I can feel it."

I recognize the voice instantly: Glacia. I move silently and peek through the branches. Sure enough, she's walking past, with a spear in each hand. But surprisingly, she's by herself.

She walks by without seeing me. I decide to follow her, because I might get a good opportunity to kill her. I pack up the rest of my stuff and start following after her.

I trail Glacia for around an hour when she stops short. I hide behind a tree, thinking she might have seen me. But as I peer around the trunk to look at her, I see her slowly walking forward, a spear raised.

She stops and throws it. A piecing scream goes through the air as the spear hits its target.

A cannon goes off, but I can still hear another girl. "No, Phoebe! Don't leave me!" I recognize the voice immediately.

Glacia laughs, and I hear Caitlin yell at her. "Show yourself! Come and fight me!"

"I'll gladly fight you. But be prepared to lose," I hear Glacia respond. Then she walks into the clearing.

I run out from behind the tree towards the clearing. I can't let Caitlin fight Glacia. I burst through into the clearing, and I see the two standing across from each other. Both are standing in a battle stance: Caitlin holding the ax I gave her, and Glacia hoisting her spear.

They both look over at me when I enter the clearing. "Lance!" Caitlin shouts, and smiles briefly before turning back to Glacia and glaring at her.

"You," Glacia says and glares. "I've been looking forward to this moment. The moment I get to kill you." She stops and polishes the end of her spear. "But I'm afraid you're going to have to wait until after I kill your little girlfriend here."

"You won't be killing anyone else," I say. And then I run towards her and swing my sword towards her arm. It makes a large gash on the upper arm.

She lets out a small gasp in pain. "Alright, I guess I'll be killing you first."

She starts to swing her spear towards me, and I block it with my sword. I push her back and she stumbles slightly. "Go, Caitlin! I'll find you, just get away from here."

She hesitates slightly, and then she runs away into the forest behind her.

Glacia and I start slowly walking in a circle, watching the other person. I decide to taunt her a bit. "So how's your alliance going? Not too many left, are there? I wonder why. Oh, I know. Maybe it's because you're crazy."

She lets out a scream and starts running towards me. I meet her with the clang of our weapons hitting each other. I swing my sword around, trying to get a hit in, while blocking her attacks.

It starts to seem like neither of us are going to make a hit, when I notice her open up the area by her stomach for a couple seconds. I take advantage of this and stab the sword at her stomach.

She bends over clutching her stomach. I roll across her back and swing my sword towards her as I start to land. The sword slices off half of her arm.

Glacia screams in pain as she falls to the ground, writhing in the small pool of her blood that is starting to form. I stand over her and she looks up at me. "It's all over, Glacia. Looks like you're not going to be victor."

I raise my sword up above my head. "Noooo!" she screams as I bring the sword down through her heart. The scream is cut off by the gurgle of blood. Her head slumps over and the cannon fires.

I crouch down next to her, exhausted from the battle. I look at my hands and see they are covered in blood, and so are my clothes.

I grab the bag that she had with her, then go over to Phoebe and grab her bag and Caitlin's. I walk over to the edge of the clearing where Caitlin had left, and I pause. I look back at Glacia. "It was always going to come down to this," I quietly say.

I walk into the forest, not looking back anymore at the bloodied body of my district partner. I just look forward to where Caitlin is. As I walk forward, I hear a mockingjay give a warning call, and all of the birds fall silent. When they pick up their calls again, I know that Glacia is now gone from the games for good.

"Caitlin!" I yell out, not caring if other tributes might here. I start running, trying to find where she is. She couldn't have gotten far.

I get to another clearing, and I pause to catch my breath. "Caitlin!" I yell again.

"Lance!" I hear her yell. I look up at a tree across the clearing and I see her climbing down it quickly. When she hits the ground, she runs to me and hugs me tightly. "I was so worried that the cannon was for you!"

I hold her tightly, not caring that we're probably on every tv in Panem right now. "Shh, it's ok. I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere."

We stay embraced like that for a few minutes, not moving at all. We pull away eventually. "We need to get camp set up somewhere. Where have you been sleeping?"

"Well we've been sleeping up in the trees." She pauses and looks around. "I honestly don't feel safe sleeping on the ground.

"Then we'll stay in the trees," I say and start walking to the tree she had been in. I start climbing up when I realize she is still standing in the same spot. "C'mon now, we might as well set up now."

I lean back against the tree trunk, enjoying the moment. Caitlin is laying against me, talking about what has happened. "So on the second day, Lyra started to go crazy from the games. She thought that she needed to kill us then, even though the games had just started. So when she attacked Phoebe and I, we had to kill her. Then we just moved to the spot where you found me, and stayed there."

"I'm so glad I finally found you," I whisper. Nothing could ruin this moment right now.

Then the anthem starts playing. Except for that. I sigh as the faces are shown in the sky: Glacia, and then Phoebe. Caitlin lets out a quiet sob when Phoebe is shown. "I wish Phoebe didn't die. She was so nice. And the way she was killed was horrible."

I hug her tightly towards me. "I know. But we did the best thing for her. We avenged her death. And I'm sure her last few days were good ones, since she spent them with you."

We stay embraced like this, and I eventually drift off to sleep, the happiest I've been since Brycen died.


	14. The Twist of the Games

**Chapter 14:**

The sound of trumpets blaring through the arena in the morning. I sit up, to make sure I hear every word of the announcement.

"Good morning, tributes," the booming voice of Gustavo Templesmith begins. "Congratulations on making it to the final 8. While your family and friends are being interviewed today, we have a surprise for all of you. You may remember that there would be a twist that happens during this Quarter Quell, but wouldn't be revealed until the right moment. Well it is now that moment. To reward each of you for your valiant efforts at making it to this point, you will each be able to pick a gift. Just one gift. Think hard about what you want this to be. It could just mean the difference between life and death."

He pauses for a few seconds, letting his words soak in. I can choose one gift...

"All you need to do to receive your gift, is simply speak out what you want. Then, tomorrow morning, the gifts will appear at the Cornucopia at sunrise, in bags labeled with your district number. Good luck, and may the odds be ever in your favor."

His voice cuts off, and I look over at Caitlin. The look on her voice says that she is thinking the same thing that I am. "We should go to the feast."

She nods her head in response. "The items really could be helpful, if we choose them well."

"What to choose..." I quietly say, more to myself. Most tributes would want a weapon or some amazing Capitol armor. Or maybe some medicine, for those that are injured.

But I have no need for either of those things; the sword I have is perfect, the armor I don't want, and Caitlin and I aren't really injured.

I contemplate some more, when my stomach lets out a loud growl. I could go for some of the delicious Capitol food right now. In fact...

"I know what I want for my gift," I say to Caitlin. She looks at me, hoping for an explanation, but then I turn to look out of the tree. "For my gift, I would like a freshly cooked Capitol feast for two people."

Caitlin lets out a quiet gasp. "Lance, you didn't have to use your gift on us. You could have gotten an amazing weapon or something!"

"I know," I respond. I turn to her and smile. "But what I want right now is just a nice meal to share with you. We can think of it as kinda like a date."

"I'd love that," she says, then leans towards me. Our lips meet, and I completely forget about the games. I forget about the killing, the upcoming feast, my ultimate death if Caitlin is to win.

But too soon, we break apart. Caitlin gives me a pained look. "Who are we trying to kid, Lance? We can't be together. It's impossible with us being in the games. We both can't win."

"I know," I reply. "I think about that all the time. I wonder what could have happened if we weren't in the games." I pause and look out at the trees. "But I don't care about how we can't both win. I just want to spend my last few days happy with you."

"Who says you're going to die soon?"

"I do. So I can make sure you win."

"No," she says and shakes her head. "I won't let you die for me. Besides, I don't want to live on in a world where you aren't alive."

"Ok, let's face it. Both of us are trying to make sure the other becomes victor. Only one of us is going to be successful, so there's no point dwelling over it."

I get out of the sleeping bag and start packing stuff up. "Now, instead of wasting time, why don't we start heading towards the Cornucopia? This way we can figure out a good plan about how we can get my food and whatever item you choose."

After we finish packing stuff, we climb down the tree and start heading in the direction of the Cornucopia. We discuss several different ideas for getting the items.

"I think I should just run in to get the items while you stay in the forest and watch my back," I say.

"And let you get yourself killed? Yeah right," Caitlin says and scoffs. "There has to be another way..."

I glance over at her and see her face scrunched from being deep in thought. She is so focused on thinking of a plan that she doesn't notice the silver parachute floating down in front of her. "Caitlin, look! A sponsor gift, and it looks like it's for you."

She grabs the package and opens it, only to be confused. "I don't understand, it's a piece of gold corn... Why would Lauren send me this?"

She goes to toss it away, but I stop her. "Wait, don't throw it away! It's probably has a hidden meaning to it. What were we talking about before we got it?"

"How there has to be another way to get the items from the Cornucopia," she replies, with doubt still on her face.

What could golden corn be a clue for? I try and think about what I know about Lauren. She won the games last year, with the help of her brother. He put his life at risk many times for her, like at the feast. At the feast...

"The feast!" I shout out. Caitlin looks over at me confused, and I start explaining. "The corn is obviously a sign from Lauren about how we could get the items. A better idea than what I had thought of. So I started thinking about what I know about her, and I remembered how she won her games with the help of her brother. Her brother put his life on the line for her many times, like how he went to the feast for her. But to avoid all of the fighting, he hid inside the Cornucopia." I pause and look over at Caitlin, who looks like she is starting to catch up to my thoughts. "Gold corn... golden Cornucopia! Lauren obviously is trying to tell us that we need to hide inside the Cornucopia."

"Of course, that makes perfect sense. It's a perfect idea hiding in there, since you can get away with your item before the fighting even starts." She stops walking and turns to me. "You're a genius, Lance. For figuring that out. I probably would have given up after a few minutes of trying to guess what she meant."

I smile at her and start walking again. "So now that we have a good plan, let's go make it happen."

I sit down against the cool metal of the Cornucopia, slightly exhausted from the long hike here. We didn't get to the Cornucopia until right before sunset. But surprisingly, Ryoko and Ardos were no longer camped out in the clearing. They probably were searching in the forest for tributes, now that Glacia is gone.

Caitlin and I sit inside, eating a can of food. I pause from eating to ask her a question. "So, are you going to tell me what you picked for your item?" At one point during the walk, she stopped and said she wanted to ask for her item in private. Said it was personal.

She blushes in embarrassment. "It's nothing. Just something that will motivate me when times are tough during the games."

I nod my head and return to eating. In a short amount of time, the anthem starts playing, but no faces are shown in the sky. But there will definitely be deaths tomorrow.

"We need to get some sleep, but we should take watches. I'll go first, you get some sleep," I say and turn to the front of the Cornucopia.

"Ok, Lance. Wake me up in a couple of hours, 'kay?"

I nod my head, and she curls up in the sleeping bag next to me. She falls asleep shortly, and then I sit and wait for sunrise. Waiting for the tributes to start fighting over items that could mean their victory.


	15. The Feast

**Chapter 15:**

"Lance, wake up," I hear, and feel someone shaking my arm.

I sit up and fumble around for my sword. "Where are the tributes?"

But I look around, and all I see is Caitlin, who is laughing at my reaction. "There are no tributes here. At least, not yet. I just woke you up since the sun is starting to rise, and the items will be appearing soon."

I look outside of the Cornucopia, and see that the edge of the sky is starting to turn pink. "Ok, do we still have our plan?"

Caitlin nods her head. "Mhm, you're going to run out first, and I'm going to grab the items while you guard my back from the tributes that will be running to get their items. And I won't grab any other tribute's item, because that would cause them to chase after us."

"Yep. We should probably pack up our stuff, to make sure we are ready." I start to gather up our sleeping bags while Caitlin puts everything away in the bags. By time we're done, the sun is fully out.

I brace myself near the edge of the Cornucopia, with my sword in hand. Caitlin gets herself ready to run. We stay like this for a couple minutes, and then a table appears in front of the Cornucopia. "Go!"

I run out with Caitlin right behind me. She goes to the table and I look around, waiting for the other tributes to come out. Something glints in the sunlight, and I barely have time to think about it before an arrow lodges itself in my left arm.

I let out one of my choice swear words, and turn to see the boy from 9 running towards us, getting another arrow ready to shoot. I reach in my jacket and get a knife out. I throw it at him, and it hits him in the neck. He falls to the ground, blood spewing out of the wound.

His cannon goes off, and I see other tributes starting to run towards the items. "Caitlin, we have to get out of here," I say slightly panicked, since I don't want to have to fight all of the tributes.

"Ok I have everything, let's go." I look around to figure out where we can go, and fear starts to creep into me. All of the tributes are running towards the Cornucopia from the forest; there's no way we can get back there unless we fight some of them.

"We have to go to the cliffs," I say and grab Caitlin's hand. We take of running, and a few seconds later I hear the clang of metal on metal and then a shrill scream. The scream is cut of and the cannon goes off.

We're almost to the cliffs when I stop to turn around. I turn just in time to see Ryoko kill Archie, and Riley running off into the forest. Three bodies are laying on the ground, never to move again.

I look over at Caitlin and see a sad look on her face. "C'mon, let's get going before they notice us," she says. And with that, we start jogging into the new terrain, uncertain of what dangers we might have to face.

I sigh as I sit down, leaning against the tree, happy to be off of my feet. Caitlin sits down next to me and closes her eyes. "That was not fun," she says quietly.

For the past hour, we were chased through the cliffs by an assortment of mutts, but mostly the beetle mutts. There were several close calls, so as a result, our clothes now have several large rips, and we're covered in blood and dirt.

We finally had made it to the forest. I reach over towards where we had plopped down our bags, and grab the container with our food from the feast. We haven't been able to eat any of it yet since we had been running for our lives. I open up the lid and peer at the contents, which are still hot. Caitlin leans over to try to see what we were given, and I take a sharp breath as a stab of pain travels up my arm.

She's pulls away and looks at my arm. Her faces drops as she notices the wound from the arrow at the feast. "Lance, why didn't you say anything about being hurt? This could get infected so easily!" She says in a motherly tone as she grabs a bag and starts rummage through it.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know, I had forgotten about it, since we had been running for our lives."

She sits up and pours some water in the wound. Then she starts to clean it. "How do you forget getting a wound like that?" I grimace as she puts some antibacterial cleaner on it. "No matter, at least we're getting it cleaned now." She ties a bandage around it, and appears satisfied with her work. "There, all patched up. Now, how about we finally eat this food"

I start to divvy out the food that was given to us. We sit and eat for a while, enjoying the rich Capitol food. After we finish, Caitlin leans against my shoulder, careful not to hit my wound. I put my arm around her, and stare out into the forest. The sun is shining through the leaves in patches. I sit in silence for a couple minutes, looking at the forest. If we weren't in the games, it would be a beautiful place. "Does it remind you of home in here?"

"What?" she responds, confused about my sudden question.

"The forest. Does it remind you of your home?" I say as I look down at her.

She looks around, and turns towards me. "Yeah it kinda does. But it's not the same. At home, you can sit in the forests, and be perfectly calm. But here, there's always a constant fear in the back of your mind." She turns away, but not before I notice a tear escape. "I sure miss it there... Wait, I still have my item from the feast!" She exclaims as she stands up and runs over to the bag.

She pulls out a single piece of paper, and sits right where she is, and starts reading it. As her eyes scan the page, tears start flowing freely. After a minute, she looks up from the paper. She gets up and runs towards me and embraces me in a tight hug.

I return the hug and hold on to her tightly, letting her sob on my shoulder. After a few minutes, Caitlin speaks up. "Sorry to get all emotional. But it was a letter from my family. And seeing all of their encouraging words, it just really made me break down, especially since I probably won't ever see them again."

"Caitlin, you know I will do everything I can to make sure you make it back to your family. And so that you can see the forests of your districts again." I put my hand under her chin and gently turn her face so that she's looking at me. I lean in and give her a kiss; a kiss that's full of all the emotion I can't say out loud.

After a minute, Caitlin breaks the kiss, but keeps her forehead resting on mine. We look into each other's eyes for a few seconds. "But it won't be the same without you. I won't be happy without you."

"I know that," I respond with a great deal of sadness. "But you'll have to enjoy those green forests without me. But every time you look at those trees, you'll be able to think of these moments together."

Caitlin starts to say something, but is interrupted by the sound of a cannon going off. She frowns slightly, "Another person gone. There aren't many people left."

"I know, that means the games are almost over," I say. But then I realize something else that makes me upset. "And that also means the time we have left together is almost gone."

"I don't want to think about that." She stands up and reaches for my hand. "C'mon, we might as well spend the rest of the day enjoying the forest."

We walk around for several hours, and we find a nice hallow tree to stay in for the night. As we sit in the branches, with the sun dimming, we hear another cannon go off.

I almost think nothing of it, but then I hear Caitlin gasp quietly. "Lance, there's only three people left. Us, and one other person."

I realize she's right, as soon as she says it. "Then it's going to end tomorrow. Surely the gamemakers will find some way for us to meet the last remaining tribute."

She turns away from me. "I don't want them to be over. That means we won't be together anymore." From the shaking in her voice, I can tell she's starting to cry.

I pull her into a hug. "Tomorrow, at least one of us is going to die. We can't change that. But I just want you to know that these last couple of weeks have been the best weeks ever."

We stay embraced in our hug for a while. But eventually the Capitol anthem starts to play, and the faces of the five dead tributes are shown. First, Ardos' smiling face is shown in the sky; then Dahlia from 5, with a look of laughter lifting the corners of her smile; then Riley, Caitlin's district partner, is shown with a solemn face, like he already knew his fate; Cheren from 9, with a look of dread; and finally Archie from 11, with a grim smile. All of these people had friends and family waiting for them to return, but they wouldn't. Well, at least not alive.

"I'm sad to see that Riley's gone. We were good friends, back in 7. But I suppose it wasn't likely that he would win; he kept talking about how he wouldn't win when we were in the Capitol."

I half listen to what she says, as I'm trying to figure out who is the remaining person. And when I do, I freeze up. "We have to face Ryoko. He's the last person."

"Well, there's no point staying up worrying about it. We should go to sleep soon, so we'll be well rested."

We start to get ready for sleep, and when I lay down and close my eyes, sleep won't come to me. I'm too worried about having to face Ryoko tomorrow, and to accept my own death.


	16. The End

**Chapter 16:**

I wake up to the peaceful sounds of the mockingjays calling back and forth. This is it. The final day in the games. And if everything goes like I plan, I won't be alive tonight.

I wake up Caitlin and we start to pack up our stuff. Not much is said, since we both know that at least one of us is not living past this day. We eat a small breakfast, and then climb down the tree. I get my sword ready, and make sure my knives are all safely tucked away in my jacket. I turn to Caitlin, who is getting her ax ready. A sharp pain goes through me as I realize that I won't be able to spend any more time with her.

She looks up at me, and a sad look is on her face; it's clear she is thinking the same thing. I walk over towards her and grab her hands. "Caitlin, whatever happens today, I just need you to know one thing: I love you." I lean in and give her a kiss so full of emotion. I wrap my arms around her waist, and she puts her hands behind my neck.

After a minute, we break apart. "I don't want this to end," Caitlin says. "I love you too. And I want to spend so much time with you, but I can't. And I-" she breaks off and lets out a scream. She falls to the ground, clutching a knife that's protruding from her back.

"Caitlin!" I shout and crouch down next to her. "Are you all right?"

"I'll be fine, for now. Owww!" She shouts as she tries to move.

"Just stay there, I'll help you." I stand up and hold my sword in front of me, looking for where the knife came from. Ryoko slowly walks out from behind a tree and makes his way towards me, sword in hand.

"Hello, Lance. Great to see you again. I've been looking forward to this fight the entire time." He glances down at Caitlin on the ground. "Pity she has to die; she's quite pretty."

"You're never going to touch her!" I say in a low tone.

Then I lunge towards him. He block my swing easily, and deflects it the side. He makes a quick swipe with his sword across my arm, where it was already cut from the arrow. "How could the gamemakers have possibly given you a 12, and not me? I'm way better than you!" He takes another swing with his sword, and I try to block it, but he still manages to make a slice in my thigh.

I stumble slightly as I try to stand. I lunge at him, trying to strike his stomach. He blocks it easily, and we stand there, with our swords lock together. He tsks at me, "I don't think so." Then he spins his sword around, which knocks mine out of my hand, and stabs me in the stomach.

I fall to down to my knees, clutching my stomach. "Lance, no!" I hear Caitlin faintly say.

Ryoko snaps his head in her direction, and he gets an evil smile. "Ah, I forgot about you." He starts to walk towards her while getting a knife out. He reaches down and grabs her face. "I think I'll slowly torture you. Just like I did to the boy from your district."

"No, don't touch her..." I say weakly as I try to stand up. But I fall right to the ground, weakened by the blood I've lost. Ryoko places his knife on her arm and starts to make slow cuts across her skin. Caitlin screams out in pain, unable to stop him.

I can't let him do this to her. But it's useless; I can't fight him. I've blown it, I can't even help Caitlin win.

I try to crawl towards Caitlin, but I collapse after moving about a foot. She's screaming out in pain, while Ryoko is laughing evilly. "I'm sorry, Caitlin," I whisper so quietly, that I can barely hear it.

She looks over at me, with pain clearly written in her tear-stained eyes. The look she gives me makes me think that I can help her, that I'm strong enough. My mind flashes back to my last conversation with my sister. Her words echo through my mind.

_You're a Henderson. We're amazing fighters._

I bring forth every ounce of strength I have left, and shakily stand up. I can't let Caitlin die like this. I slowly walk towards them, reaching into my jacket and pulling out a knife. Caitlin looks up at me and gives me such a hopeful look.

I get right behind Ryoko, and he hasn't noticed I'm there. I bring my knife down on his neck, and as I pull it out, a gush of blood is released. He grabs onto his neck and starts to move away. "W-wh-what? How?" He sputters out.

"I'm a Henderson; we're amazing fighters. So don't mess with the ones I love." And with that, I throw the knife straight at his heart. He falls over face first, and the cannon goes off.

My legs start to shake, too weak to hold up my body. I fall down right next to Caitlin. I reach up and place a shaky hand on her face. "I love you," I say as I look into her eyes.

She starts to cry as she grabs onto my other hand. "I love you too, Lance."

We lay there staring at each other, both losing blood. My vision starts to go black. I guess this is what it's like to die.

The darkness has almost completely enveloped me, when I hear the sounds of trumpets faintly. No, please don't mean Caitlin's dead.

I have one last thought before the darkness completely envelopes me: am I the victor, or is Caitlin?


	17. Night as Victor

**Chapter 17:**

I open my eyes, and I'm blinded by the bright white lights. Where am I? Am I dead?

But I get my answer shortly, as a door opens right in the wall, and a doctor walks in. "Oh good, you're awake. You're all ready for the Victor's ceremony tonight. Here are your clothes," she says as she hands a pile to me. She turns and starts to walk towards the door. Right before she leaves, she turns around and smiles at me. "Oh, and congrats on becoming victor." Then she leaves the room.

A rush of memories start to flood my mind as I recall those last few events in the arena. I remember lots of blood being lost, Ryoko dying, saying I love you, and then everything went black. But if I'm here, that must mean that... No. They can't be dead. But the doctor just said I'm the victor, which means they must be.

I slowly start to put the clothes on, lost in thoughts, and not wanting to believe that last death. I do everything in a trance, and soon I'm walking through the hallways of the hospital towards where my mentor, stylist and prep team are waiting. I turn a corner, and see them all standing there.

I take a couple steps forward, and Lauren comes and embraces me in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you, Caitlin! You did an amazing job." She pauses, and the next part she whispers so only I can hear. "And if you need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. I went through the same thing last year."

I pull away and give her the faintest hint of a smile. I then get squeezed tightly by the hugs of my prep team. But even their ridiculous chatter which would normally make me laugh can't cheer me up. After they release me, Logan gives me a gentle hug, and congratulates me.

Lauren puts her arm around me, and leads me to the elevator. We start to head up towards the floor we stayed in for training. As we pass by floor 2, I let out a soft whimper, as I realize that Lance is gone, and I'll never see him again. A tear escapes from my eye, and then we're walking onto our floor.

We sit down to eat, but I don't touch my food at all. "C'mon, Caitlin, you have to eat something," Lauren says gently. But I just shake my head and sit there.

Logan turns towards my prep team. "Hey, why don't you start to get Caitlin ready?" They all agree and jump up and lead me towards my room. They start to babble on and on about the games, and when they mention Lance, I start crying right away. Calpurnia notices, and gives the other two a look, and they change the topic.

I sit there for a couple hours, mindlessly letting the prep team get me ready. Finally, Logan comes in carrying a garment bag. "Close your eyes, Caitlin. I don't want you to see the dress until it's on you."

I do as he says, and feel the silky fabric slip over my skin. The prep team makes some finishing touches, and then I open my eyes. I look in the mirror, unable to recognize the girl I see. Her face looks sad, despite the makeup that is trying to make her look beautiful. The dress the girl is wearing is a long black gown, which is tight along the waist, then it flows freely. It's a simple dress, not too revealing.

Logan comes up behind me and looks at my reflection. "I thought black would be a fitting color. It's the color of mourning. I think it's the perfect way to show how truly upset you are over Lance's death. The Capitol needs to know how they split apart your love."

I feel my eyes start to prickle with tears, but I don't let them fall. Logan is absolutely right, like he always seems to be.

He gently turns me so that I'm facing him. "Now, can I see that happy girl that I first met before the games? I sure miss her."

I start to smile at him, and embrace him in a tight hug. I feel safe in the tight embrace of his hug.

I pull away and smile. "Thanks, Logan, for everything."

He smiles back at me, and then there's a knock on the door. It opens a crack and Lauren peers in. "Are you almost ready? It's just about time to go."

She sees me dressed and walks in. She links her arm through mine, and starts to lead me through the rooms. We go down the elevator and enter the lobby. Waiting there are Stefan and Cresselia, my escort.

"Oh good, you're finally here," she says when she sees us. She starts walking towards us. "No matter, you're here now. C'mon, let's get you all to your spots." She grabs my arm and leads me out of the building and under the stage. She stops me on a silver platform. "Ok stay there." Then she walks away dragging Stefan with her, and the prep team walking behind them.

Logan stops in front of me and smiles. "Don't forget, Caitlin, it's your night. I just know that you're going to shine." Then he turns to walk to his spot.

Lauren stands next to me, and stares ahead for a minute. "I remember standing here, in the same spot, nervous about going in front of the crowd." She pauses and turns towards me. "It's hard to believe that it's been a year since my games. But every single dance since, I constantly think about my brother Kendall, who sacrificed himself for me."

She wipes away a tear before continuing. "Watching the last few moments of your games was hard for me, since what Lance did was so similar to Kendall. I kept on having flashbacks to the final moments of my games."

She pauses again and takes a deep breath. "Sorry, I keep getting off topic of what I originally meant to say. Look, Caitlin, I know how hard it is to be going through what you feel now. I went through the same thing last year. I'm not going to lie, and say that you move on quickly. It's tough living without Kendall, and I still get depressed about him dying. But you'll be able to live through it. It might seem impossible, but just know that I'm here, and you can talk to me whenever you need." She stops as we hear Cresselia calling her name. We look over, and see her standing there, waving at Lauren to go to her spot. "I have to get going," Lauren says as she turns back to me. "Just remember, it's your night, so smile." She gives me a quick hug and walks away.

I take a deep breath as I think about what she said. I can make through this. I can at least try to make it through tonight without people knowing how truly upset I am.

I hear the crowd start to cheer, and know that the prep team has started to go up. The crowd cheers louder at three different points, as the rest of my team go up. Then my plate starts to rise. I start to panic at the thought of facing the crowd.

But then I'm blinded by the lights of the Capitol. My ears are surrounded with the cheers of the crowd. I smile a little bit and wave, and everyone starts to cheer louder.

Claudia walks over and gives me a tight hug. While in the embrace, I hear her whisper, "I'm so sorry about Lance." She pulls away, with a smile on her face, and leads me over to the victor's chair.

I sit down and the crowd quiets for Claudia to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, our newest Hunger Games victor, Caitlin Delacour!"

The crowd responds with loud cheers. Then everyone's attention is drawn to screens throughout the City Circle.

The screens come to life, and the highlights of the games start to play. It starts with the Reaping, then moves on to the Opening Ceremony. They show Lance on his chariot, and I smile and feel a tear start to fall as I think about first meeting him after the chariot ride. The interviews are shown, and clips of Lance's are shown, and mine is in its entirety. Then the games start.

The video shows me with my alliance, and in-between there are moments of Lance escaping from the Career pack. I see Phoebe and myself have to kill Lyra. The next thing shown is Glacia discovering us, and then Lance bursting through the trees to fight her. He looks like he was a god sent to protect me, the way he was battling Glacia.

Most moments with Lance are shown, and it's so painful to watch. Tears are falling freely as I see all of the moments with Lance. But this pain is nothing compared to what I feel when I watch him die. I am sobbing when they end the film, having the screen go dark as my close when I lost consciousness.

I try to wipe away some of the tears as President Xavier walks on stage with the little boy carrying my crown behind him. He places the crown on my head while giving a sympathetic smile. Then he gives me a friendly hug.

He walks off and Claudia gets the crowd's attention. "Alright, that's it for tonight. Make sure you tune in tomorrow morning for my interview with Caitlin." She interlocks her arm with mine, and we walk off of the stage, where we meet Lauren.

She gives me a hug when I reach her. "I am so proud of you. I know how hard it is to sit up there. But unfortunately, I can't let you go back to our floor and sleep. You have to go to the President's mansion for the Sponsors Banquet."

I give her a look telling her how much I don't want to go. I see her start to change her plans. "Alright, you'll go for a little bit, meet a few sponsors, then we'll say you're not feeling well and you can leave. Sound good?"

I nod my head, and we start walking to the President's mansion. I take a deep breath right before we enter, preparing myself to appear cordial in front of the most respected people of the Capitol.


	18. Tears and Sorrow

**Chapter 18:**

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, watching as the prep team transforms my features. The redness of my nose fades away, the black circles under my eyes soon are gone. All signs of my night crying disappear with the makeup.

They chatter about silly things, and I ignore them. They swiftly finish getting me ready for the interview. My auburn hair is left down in its normal ways, and a simple black head band is placed in it.

Logan walks in carrying a bag. "Hello, Caitlin," he says and smiles.

I try to return the smile, but only the corners of my mouth lift up. I go back to frowning as I eye the bag. "So what am I wearing today?"

He smiles as he unzips the bag. A cream pink dress slides out. "Something simple. Nothing too flashy."

Logan walks over and helps me get the dress on. It's a plain dress, with only a black belt below my chest for accents.

He fixes my hair slightly, then looks at the mirror with me. "Do you like it?"

I turn and look at him. "Of course I do." I give him a tight hug. "You've done so much for me while I've been here."

"I'm just doing what I love: making dresses for pretty girls to wear."

He pulls away and grabs my hand and spins me. I smile and laugh a little bit. Logan sees me smile, which causes him to smile more. "That's much better. I've missed you being all cheerful. Now let's go do this interview."

He puts his arm around me and leads me into the living room. The space is packed with the camera crew, and the couch is surrounded by roses. Standing near it is Lauren and Claudia Flickerman. We start to walk over, and Lauren notices us and waves.

Lauren hugs me, and then turns to Claudia. "It was great talking to you again." She looks back at me. "You all set for the interview?"

I nod my head, but in truth, I'm petrified for this. She can see this on my face. "Caitlin, don't worry about it. It's a much more relaxed setting then the first interview. Just stay calm, and have a pleasant conversation with Claudia." She pulls me into a tight embrace, and starts to whisper into my ear. "And don't be ashamed to cry. No one is judging you. Not now." She pulls away and smiles. "You'll do great," she says, and walks over to where Stefan is standing.

I turn to Claudia, and she smiles at me before hugging me. She pulls away and leads me to the couch. "Congrats again on becoming victor. It's so great to be back on this floor again." She looks around and sees that the crew is ready. "Are you all ready to start?"

I nod my head. "Yeah, I think so."

"Alright then." She motions to the head crew member and he starts to count down.

I brace myself to be seen on every tv in Panem, and force a smile on my face. I won't let them know how truly upset I am.

"Good morning citizens of Panem. Another Hunger Games as passed, and I'm here with our latest victor, Caitlin Delacour, of District 7. Today we're going to discuss some of the key moments of the games." She pauses to turn towards me. "So what were your first thoughts after the gong rang?"

I take a deep breath before starting. "I knew I needed to get some supplies, and make sure I got out of there quickly with my allies. So I started to run towards the Cornucopia, and then Anabel attacked me. She nearly overcame me, and the games could have ended for me right there. But I managed to get the better hand." I pause as I recollect my thoughts on what happened next. I close my eyes briefly, remembering. "Then Lance came up to me, and gave me supplies he grabbed for me. And right before I left, he told me," I shake a bit from a sob I try to contain.

Claudia puts her hand on my shoulder. "Told you what?" she gently urges.

I look at her kind face, realizing that she does care about how I feel. "He said he would find me. So then I ran over to where Phoebe and Lyra were waiting at the edge of the woods."

She smiles at me. "So when exactly did this alliance form?"

I smile a bit, remembering how sweet the girls were. "I first approached Phoebe during training. And then we started talking to Lyra, and formed our alliance."

"Now, this alliance ended up taking a turn for the worse, and Lyra tried to kill you two. Any idea why?"

I think back to that moment. "Honestly, I think the stress of the games got to her, and she snapped. She started thinking crazy thoughts, and Phoebe and I had no choice but to kill her as she was trying to kill us." A tear escapes from my eye. "She was a nice person, and I think it was hysteria from the games that caused her to act that way."

"I've seen that happen too many times. People turn against their only friends in the arena." She pause briefly. "So what was going through your mind after Glacia walked into the clearing just after killing Phoebe?"

"I honestly was ready to fight her. I don't know if I would have won, but I just wanted revenge for her killing Phoebe. But then, he burst into the clearing." I stare into the distance, thinking of how he looked like a war god sent to save me.

"Lance." Claudia says, bringing my back from my fantasy.

I nod my head. "Yes, Lance. There he was, ready to fight for me and sacrifice his life for me. And then he told me to run away. I was so hesitant to, since I didn't know how the fight would turn out. But I listened to him, and that time was so painful to sit through, since I didn't know what was happening. Then the cannon went off."

"And you feared the worst." I nod my head in agreement. "But you didn't need to; Lance proved that he deserved the 12."

"Yeah he sure did. I didn't know how intense that fight was until I saw it last night." I smile a bit, thinking about Lance. "But during the games, I had no idea. So I was sitting there bawling my eyes out, thinking I was now completely ally-less. But then he appeared."

"And the rest is history." Claudia smiles over at me. "There was quite a bit of romance that occurred between you two. Now I know everyone is dying to know: did you really love him?"

I think back to every moment with Lance. Him first catching me when i tripped off of the chariot. The night before the games on the roof. Then every single moment with him in the games. And then I think about how gut-wrenching his death was. The tears start falling as I nod my head and answer. "Yes, I did."

I start crying harder, and can't control my sobs. Claudia gives me a tight hug and whispers to me. "I know you did. You have to be strong now. For him." She pulls away to look at me. I nod slightly to let her now I'll try. I wipe away my tears and try to stop shaking.

She smiles sadly at me. "Then this last moments in the games must have been extremely sorrowful."

"They were. Still are." I wipe away my tears again. "It's incredibly hard to lose the person you love. There's so many things I wish I could have done with Lance, so many moments gone." I chuckle sarcastically. "I picked a pretty poor time to fall in love, didn't I?"

She places her hand on my shoulder. "You can't help falling in love." She turns to look at the camera. "Sadly, that's all the time we have. But we'll see Caitlin soon in a few months for the Victory Tour. Until then, goodbye citizens of Panem."

And the cameras turn off.

The crew starts cheering, but I ignore them. Claudia hugs me. "Caitlin, it was so nice meeting you. I look forward to seeing you again." She smiles, and then heads out of the room with some of the crew.

I stand up off of the couch and sigh. I start walking towards Lauren, but I'm stopped by the hugs of my prep team. "Thanks for helping me out, guys. And it's not goodbye for good. I'll be seeing you soon."

The step away and I smile at them. They smile back, with tears starting to fall down their faces.

Logan walks over and I hug him tightly. "I'm going to miss you, Logan."

"I know, I'll miss you too," he says as he holds me tightly. After a minute of being in his comforting hug, he pulls away a bit to look at my face. "You have become such a beautiful, mature, young lady. I'm so proud to have been your stylist." He smiles at me one more time, then heads to the elevator with the prep team. As the doors start to close, I wave at him one last time, and he waves right back.

I turn to Lauren, Stefan, and Cresselia. Lauren wraps her arm around me and leads me to the other elevator. "C'mon, let's go home."

We go down to the lobby, and walk past all of the cameras for one of the last times. We get on the train, and it starts to speed out of the city. I shed one tear, knowing that leaving the Capitol also meant leaving some of the places I spent with Lance.

Stefan and Cresselia go to the dining train, and Lauren goes to her room. I slowly walk to my room, hardly believing that I'm finally going home.

I open the door, and see a garment bag laying on the giant bed. A note sits on top. I walk over and read the note.

_Lauren, I know you'll need this shortly. You'll understand soon._

_-Logan_

I set the note aside and open the bag to see the dress I wore for last night.

I sit down next to the dress, and read the note again, searching for some clue. Why would Logan give me this dress?

I lay back, and close my eyes, deciding not to think about the dress. I try to fall asleep, but my mind keeps going back to moments with Lance.

After some time, I hear a knock on my door. I lift up my head and look to see Lauren peering in. She's changed from her earlier dress into a black one. "You're going to need to change into your dress now," she says as she walks into the room.

"Why?" I ask as I stand up. She gets the dress out of the bag.

"Just trust me," she says and smiles. She hands the dress to me, and I go to the bathroom and change into it.

I walk out and see Lauren waiting. She smiles when she sees me. "Logan is such an amazing designer. That dress is perfect for you."

"Thanks," I say. I feel the train start to slow down, and I look around confused. "Why are we stopping? We can't be at home yet."

Instead of answering, Lauren leads me out of the room and down the hallway towards the exit. "President Xavier was kind enough to allow this when I asked him last night."

"Allow what...?" The train comes to a stop, and I look out the window at an unfamiliar station, with a woman waiting for us. A woman who looks familiar...

The door opens, and Lauren steps out. I follow hesitantly, glancing around at the unfamiliar place. We're definitely in a different district.

I bring my attention back to the woman who is standing there. She doesn't look much older than me. I study her face, trying to figure out why she looks familiar. I look at the chestnut hair, and her facial features. But what makes me recognize her are her hazel eyes. The same color eyes that I looked into during the games.

I gasp as I realize who she is, and where I am. I start crying, and shaking my head, hardly believing what is happening. "You're Lance's sister."

She nods her head, and I can tell she's fighting back her own tears. "Yes, I'm Maylene Henderson."

I hug her tightly and cry on her shoulder, knowing exactly where I am now.

She hugs me back, and looks at me. "You know where you are now. Welcome to District 2. I wish it could have been on better terms that we were first meeting. But sadly, that's not the case." She wraps an arm around me, and starts leading me off the platform, with Lauren right next to us. "You don't know how glad I am that you're here and I don't have to say goodbye to Lance on my own."

We get into a car, and start driving through the district. We sit in silence, and tears flow down my cheeks, as we make our way to see Lance one more time.

I try to ignore the knock on my door, but the person persists. "Go away!" I shout, before turning my face back down on my bed.

The door opens and Lauren walks in. She walks over and sits down next to me. She starts to rub my back comfortingly. "Caitlin, I know you're very upset after seeing Lance for the last time, but we're just about back to district 7. You need to get ready."

I turn my head to look at her. "You mean I finally get to see my family again?"

She smiles at me. "Yes, you get to see your family again."

I sit up and can't help but smile a bit. I've missed my family so much, and I had thought I would never see them again. "Alright, let's go."

Lauren takes my hand and stands up, pulling me up with her. She gives my hand a light squeeze before letting go. We walk down the train to the door, waiting for the train to stop.

I glance down at my wrist, and smile at the bracelet sitting there. Maylene gave me the bracelet Lance had as his token during the games. She had also told me the story behind it. I want to make sure the tragedy of this bracelet isn't forgotten.

The train stops and I take a deep breath. I look up as the doors open, and the cameras crowd for a view of me as I take a step out.

My parents are waiting right there, crying. I go into their arms and hug them tightly. "I've missed you so much!" I say through tears.

I step back to look at them. Mom runs her hand over my hair. "We are so proud of you, honey."

I smile at them crying. I give them all another quick hug. Dad looks at me, "Look at my little girl, all grown up now!" I give him a look, and he smiles. "Alright, let's head home."

I put one arm around dad and one around mom. "Actually, I think I am home."


End file.
